Alex Garland debunked a popular theory about his critically acclaimed film Ex Machina. The 2014 science fiction thriller follows Caleb, a programmer who wins a contest to spend a week at the private estate of Nathan Bateman, his company’s CEO. When he arrives, Caleb learns that he has been chosen to take part in a Turing test with Ava, a robot that Nathan created. Upon its release, reviews for Ex Machina were fantastic, and Screen Rant gave the film an impressive score of 9 out of 10.
In a video for GQ, Garland responded to a Reddit theory which claims that Caleb is actually an android in Ex Machina, and that the whole movie is a Turing test for the audience. While the filmmaker thinks the theory is interesting, he claims that it is not true. However, Garland assumed that “smart” audience members would question whether Caleb is an AI in the film, which is why he included hints that things may not be as they seem. Read his comments and watch the full video below:
I made an assumption that a smart audience member at a certain point would say, “I know what’s going on here. Domhall Gleeson, you know, Caleb, yeah, he’s the AI. That’s really what’s happening.” That’s why there’s a scene where he cuts himself open, because he then starts to ask himself that question. But he’s not an AI, he’s a person.
What Alex Garland’s Response To This Theory Means For Ex Machina
Caleb Is A Human In Ex Machina
In a Turing test, if a human is unable to confidently identify an AI from a human, then the machine passes. Therefore, this theory, which states that Garland is actually presenting a Turing test to audience members through Caleb in Ex Machina, is actually very intriguing. Since the release of the film, viewers have been debating whether Caleb is an AI or a human, which is what we are led to believe. Even though Garland confirms that Caleb is a human in Ex Machina, he admitted that he wanted audience members to have debates like this.
Ava successfully manages to escape her imprisonment and enters the real world.
Unlike Caleb, Ava is actually a robot in Ex Machina. Ava proves to be much smarter than both Caleb and Nathan in the sci-fi film. At the end of Ex Machina, Ava manages to kill Nathan and locks Caleb in the research facility. Garland’s film is such an amazing sci-fi movie because viewers actually root for Ava by the end of it. Caleb’s fate in Ex Machina is not revealed, and he is last seen trying (and failing) to escape the research facility. However, Ava successfully manages to escape her imprisonment and enters the real world.
Our Take On Alex Garland’s Response To This Ex Machina Theory
Garland Knew Viewers Would Think That Caleb Is An Android In Ex Machina
Even though this intriguing theory isn’t true, Ex Machina is still one of Alex Garland’s best movies. It’s interesting to learn that he predicted that viewers would want to believe this theory while watching the movie. Because of this forethought, Garland included hints in the film that lead viewers to believe Caleb may indeed be an android. In the above video, it’s also interesting to learn what other films inspired Ex Machina, which is one of the best and most thought-provoking sci-fi movies of this century.
Source: GQ
Ex Machina
9/10
- Release Date
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April 10, 2015
- Runtime
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108 minutes
