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By Izzy Pezzaioli.
Alex Garland’s 2014 Sci-fi thriller Ex Machina follows Domhnall Gleeson’s character Caleb, a young computer programmer who is invited to the remote home of tech CEO Nathan, played by Oscar Isaac. Caleb is soon introduced to Ava, an advanced artificial intelligence whose existence raises moral dilemmas surrounding her autonomy, power, and imprisonment.
Alicia Vikander’s character, Ava, is commonly interpreted to be the villain of the film due to her manipulation of male protagonist Caleb and her eventual escape into the real world. However, this interpretation overlooks the issue of Ava’s imprisonment, and overall lack of control over her own existence, which leaves the question – who is the real villain?
The creation of Ava as an artificial intelligence feels increasingly real for audiences, while not yet to the scale shown in the film, developments in AI suggest it is not far away, making the film feel all the more haunting. Nathan, as the creator, is an intelligent man who could be seen as the true villain in the film. He creates AI women for his own gain and desires, and then throws them away when they are no longer needed. This is shown in the haunting moment where Caleb discovers the discarded bodies of the previous AI women in Nathan’s wardrobe, turning the science fiction thriller into something closer to horror. Despite designing beings capable of thought and emotion, Nathan shows little regard for the harm he causes through their suffering or confinement.
Although Nathan is outwardly evil to the women in the film, Caleb cannot be seen as purely innocent. Caleb believes he is saving Ava, and to a degree, this is correct; he betrays Nathan to help Ava escape and sees Ava as an emotional being. Yet, Caleb does not do this without wanting personal gain. Although Caleb seems motivated by compassion, his desire to free her is intertwined with his sexual desire and attraction to Ava. However, Ava sees through his intentions and refuses to become Caleb’s possession as well as Nathan’s.
Ava’s decision to leave both men behind can be seen as an act of liberation rather than an act of a villain. Throughout the film, she is treated as an object that can be controlled by the men around her; she has no power and is not even allowed to leave her room. However, by the end of the film, she regains her autonomy and is able to make her own decisions. Although her actions at the end of the film are morally ambiguous, they represent her ability to make her own decisions and fight for her freedom. Ava represents women, not just robots. Her lack of independence mirrors the experiences of women throughout time who have been controlled, objectified, and denied autonomy. In this case, Ava chooses freedom over dependence on either man, rejecting Nathan’s control and refusing to become an object of Caleb’s affection.
Ultimately, Ex Machina is not a film about the dangers of artificial intelligence, but instead shows the consequences of denying autonomy to someone who seeks it.
