Ex Machina
2015 · Directed by Alex Garland
Original language: English
- drama
- science fiction
The story
Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
What it’s like
Cool, clinical light dominates: sterile white rooms, glass walls, and the blue-green glow of screens against dark wood and concrete, with the mountain outside rendered in wide, indifferent greens and greys. Camera work is patient and composed, with long held frames and symmetrical staging that makes every room feel like a test chamber, while the score by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow pulses in low, unsettling synth drones and then drops into near silence at the moments of greatest tension. The texture is crisp digital, precise and cold, and the sense of place is one of isolation, a remote estate where the weather never quite becomes a comfort. The vibe is tense, cerebral unease with a slow-burn creep, suited to a late night alone or a focused evening when you want to be unsettled rather than startled. Pacing is deliberate, with dialogue carrying most of the weight; the emotional arc follows a lonely young man drawn into a seductive, manipulative relationship and the uneasy questions of trust that follow. Violence is brief but sharp, and there is some nudity and sexual content; the dread is psychological rather than gory. For viewers who enjoy chilly, idea-driven thrillers about power, control and what it means to be human.
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