Ex Machina is a science-fiction thriller from 2014, written and directed by Alex Garland, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, and Sonoya Mizuno. It tells the story of a young coder at a large tech company who is invited to participate in a highly sensitive experiment involving artificial intelligence. The film was Garland's directorial debut and was generally well-received.
Caleb Smith is picked by Nathan Bateman, the CEO of the tech company where Caleb works, to come to his extremely isolated home and participate in a Turing test with an A.I. model named Ava to determine whether she passes as a human being. Throughout the test, Caleb becomes more and more emotionally connected to Ava, and more skeptical of Nathan's intentions. What results is a twisted and suspenseful web of misunderstandings and betrayal.
The film was met with largely positive reviews. Ann Hornaday wrote for The Washington Post, "Garland effectively erases any and all memories of the Alan Turing biopic, instead calling on references as wide-ranging as Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein, and Apocalypse Now to create an absorbing, often disquieting contemporary parable." The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Visual Effects (which it won). It was also nominated for five British Academy Film Awards.
