Date: 2015
Director:Alex Garland
Actors/ Characters:Domhnall Gleeson/Caleb, Oscar Isaac/ Nathan, Alicia Vikander/ Ava, Sonoya Mizuno/ Kyoko
Summary:A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breath-taking humanoid A.I.
Review
Are artificial intelligence's that different to us or, for want of a better phrase, are they that different to women? Garland's first time directing a full length feature film certainly suggests this message. Ava, a newly created artificial intelligence created by reclusive genius and hyper-masculine Nathan has been trapped in a glass cage as long as she has been conscious. The film centers around Caleb, an slightly awkward, ordinary man who works for Nathan company- Blue Box and at the start of the film's narrative wins a week at Nathan's mansion in the mountains. There he discovers the first artificial intelligence's have been developed and he is to take part in a Turing test.
" To erase the line between man and machine is to obscure the line between man and gods".
A question we need to consider is what is this film telling us about women? Certainly, Garland's Ex Machina does not pass the Bechdel test ( a work must feature at least two women, these women must talk to each other, and their conversation must concern something other than a man ). There are only two women present in the entire film- Ava and Kyoko, both of whom are robots creating a concerning representation already. To make matters worse Kyoko has not even been awarded the ability to speak rendering her to be nothing more than a object of Nathan's desire to be seen and not heard. The only conversation to two women share is in the film's climax where Nathan is killed by them both and the conversation they share is clearly about Nathan who is in fact a man.
There is strong evidence to support Christine Geraghty's theories in this film- she stated that "there is a division between the public and private, male and female spaces respectively". To begin, from the film's onset we see Ava physically trapped behind glass walls, an ironic metaphor for how she both lacks freedom and how men such as Nathan and Caleb are allowed take pleasure in observing her. It could also be read that the glass walls of Ava's private sphere symbolise the power of patriarchy imprisoning her in a domesticated space. To further this act of voyeurism, Ava is constantly monitored through CCTV cameras.
As for Kyoko's role in Geraghty's beliefs, she is depicted as a subservient and suppressed female trapped in the private sphere. As I have mentioned Kyoko is a mute servant to Nathan which in itself is highly problematic and conforms to the idea that 'men act, women appear' (Burger). Time and time again we see Kyoko trapped in a domestic space either the bedroom or the kitchen, this is a traditional and worrisome illustration of ideal femininity because it suggests that a woman's place is in the private sphere. It is obvious that Kyoko has been created for Nathan's pleasure. Kyoko is definitely an object of the 'male gaze' in the film, in one scene she is seen lying naked on Nathan's bed waiting for him to say the word. It is not only Nathan we see her trying to please but in one of the film's most famous scenes, the 'dancing scene' Kyoko is alone with Caleb and automatically begins to undress showing that she has been 'programmed' to do so when in the company of a man.
Perhaps the most shocking scene of the film is the reveal of Nathan's previous creations. Nathan's previous artificial intelligent creations have been neglected and locked in his bedroom wardrobes. The fact that these 'women' are kept in the closet and displayed like prizes denies them their humanity and identities and depicts them as objects of desire and pleasure (Mulvey). Garland uses a wide shot to accentuate the 'male gaze' as the audience is forced to look at the naked, exposed women. Furthermore, Kyoko is also sat in the frame's foreground naked and this is reflected in the wardrobe mirrors also forcing our gaze to objectify the women even further.
For nearly the entirety of the film both Kyoko and Ava are presented as 'ordinary women' (Haskell)- common, passive victims. However through the act of Nathan's murder they become extraordinary women (Haskell)- mistresses of their own fates. It is a promising and progressive ending as the two women are ultimately more powerful than the patriarchy that created them. My only concern with Kyoko and Ava's triumph is that to an extent they had to exploit their sexualities and attractiveness to gain their freedom. However, saying that, owning one's sexuality is a highly feminist concept in itself and one that I appreciate filmmakers applying to their female characters.
In the past women who were powerful and independent would be punished. In Ex Machina, Kyoko is sadly punished however interestingly Ava is not displaying a progression in the representation of femininity. Although Ava is not punished I would still debate that she is not entirely rewarded in her victory. Ava becomes a 'monstrous feminine' (Barbara Creed) through her act of murder which still implies the notion that a powerful women is a dangerous one and one to be stopped.
Ex Machina ends on a positively hopeful note, Ava is granted her freedom and in the last frames of the film we see her standing in the middle of a bustling city street revelling in her liberation.
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