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It is rightly considered one of the most notable films in the science fiction genre in recent years, receiving positive feedback from both the audience and industry professionals. Directed by screenwriter Alex Garland (here making his directorial debut), "EX_MACHINA" (2015) is a film that, in general, is believed to require a particularly skilled cast of actors to work. Especially since there are only four characters. Yet, although none of these actors (Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno) deliver unforgettable performances (or perhaps precisely for this reason), the film works perfectly. This happens because, like the pieces of a mosaic within a larger design cleverly guided by the director, the actors and their interpretation—like the atmospheres and settings, the soundtrack—everything fits perfectly into the definition of a story that, based on an idea certainly not new, develops in an original and universal way, transcending the mere boundaries of the science fiction genre.
What is "EX_MACHINA"? The film was awarded an Oscar for best visual effects, which, combined with the evocative settings and the contrast between the aseptic interiors in the classic "A Space Odyssey" style and the exteriors filmed between Valldal and the Sognefjord fjord, constitute added value also on a symbolic level. Essentially, the story is based on the interactions between the different characters, particularly the dynamics between Nathan Bateman, CEO of BlueBook, the young programmer Caleb Smith, and the humanoid Ava. Everything takes place in Bateman's house (which is actually a research lab) where he has chosen Caleb to perform the "Turing Test" to determine if Ava possesses her own intelligence and self-awareness. Initially enthusiastic about this opportunity, during the "sessions" (remotely monitored by Bateman), Caleb becomes emotionally involved in his relationship with Ava (who, on the other hand, shows the same feelings as well as deep suffering from her confinement in the laboratory) and clashes violently with his role and Bateman's hostile behavior, who clearly considers the AI nothing more than a perfectible creation of his own.
The film is thus a psychological thriller with science fiction settings and implications of an ethical and "behavioral" nature. Somehow it reminded me of "Sleuth" (2007) by Kenneth Branagh with Michael Caine and Jude Law. In that case, too, the passions are merely a pretext in a post-modern closed circuit context where the two protagonists engage ambiguously in a psychological and crafty duel. All three protagonists, starting with the "creator" Nathan Bateman who clearly considers himself on a par with a god for having recreated life, will actually all seek to be the true "deus" and manipulate others according to their own purposes and rise over them as the architects of their destiny. But here the only true deus is the director, and all the cards are laid out from the beginning, yet, despite being aware of their fate, they all continue down their path to the end.
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