Ex Machina (2014)

Ex Machina is a slow-burning, cerebral sci‑fi thriller that follows Caleb, a young programmer who wins a one‑week stay at the remote mountain estate of Nathan, the brilliant and reclusive CEO of a tech giant. What starts as a routine evaluation quickly becomes an unnerving experiment: Caleb is asked to assess Ava, a stunningly lifelike android built with an unprecedented artificial intelligence. Confined in a clean, isolated research facility, the three characters engage in a tense, manipulative game of trust, curiosity and power. If you watch this film you’ll experience a precise, almost claustrophobic atmosphere — spare, clinical sets and a moody score that amplify the psychological tension. The movie prioritizes ideas and character dynamics over action, asking unsettling questions about consciousness, free will, deception, and the ethical cost of creating life. Performances are quietly intense, the visuals are sleek and minimal, and the narrative steadily builds to morally ambiguous confrontations that linger after the credits. Expect a thoughtful, provocative ride: not a popcorn spectacle but a polished, haunting drama that invites you to rethink what it means to be human and how easily perception and empathy can be engineered.

Actors: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac

Director: Alex Garland

Runtime: 108 min

Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

78 /100 7.7 /10 7.8 /10