In the Garden of Ava

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2015)

Is beauty skin deep? A significant question in Alex Garland's, Ex Machina. Just ask the robots all of which are women. Garland casts more women than men, but let's face it, the men get more screen time. Because, they're deep. In a trailer, 10 quotations from men, from Bill Gates to Stephen Hawking's, warn us about the dangers of artificial intelligence (A.I.). But could the subtext of this creature-feature simply be an old prejudice against women?
The story begins with Caleb(Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer with a good moral compass, winning a week with reclusive, billionaire boss, Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Caleb is whisked away in a helicopter to a landscape that summons up The-Hills-Are-Alive beauty. He follows the river to find boss's home and research center, slash modernist prison decorated with a Jackson Pollock, go-to art for edge.
Finally, Nathan introduces Caleb to his A.I. creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander). During the week, Caleb tests Ava for her humanness, while Nathan watches through a lens.
A nice feature of the movie is the backward way the Turing Test presents itself to viewers. The director has to convince us that Ava is a robot. Vikander (Ava), a classically trained dancer, delivers a convincing performance of nuanced movement and facial gesture that delivers a woman/robot.
All of the characters have one-word names, including the only other character, (Kyoko), Nathan's servant. Caleb tells Nathan that he treads in the realm of the gods; Nathan arrogantly alters Caleb's statement to say that Nathan is God. The one-word names summon up: God, Adam and Eve.
Perhaps less God, in terms of Nathan, and more Dr. Frankenstein. Nathan has created an anatomically correct female. According to Nathan, there is no greater way a being experiences what it is to be human, than to experience the pleasure of sex. The transparent design of Ava's trunk makes it clear eating is not possible. Go figure.
Ava has no taste for Nathan. He is abusive to his creations: keeping them locked up and naked. When they fall short, he erases their minds. Some important discussions are missing here in regards to what makes humans, human. So what if the inventor is naughty with his sex toys? Why should we care? Why should he? Instead, we are focused on the triangle, Ava's enlistment of Caleb to win her freedom against Nathan.
While Nathan is swarthy, masculine and intimidating, Caleb is gangly and apologetic. We want to be for him, but we are not. Perhaps, it is his lack of development or good posture. Furthermore, we are never really sold on his attraction to the intelligent damsel in distress, Ava. Although, we see full-screen Caleb's Adam's apple swallowing with appetite for Ava (Adam plus Eve), we never feel the attraction. While Nathan is perhaps more interesting, we never know his motivation. Nor do we know what motivates Ava in the end to do what she does.
Unfortunately, the end is somewhat predictable. Before leaving the garden, Eve always ruins Adam, regardless of obtaining the knowledge of good and evil. The problem is we don't really care. What does attract us in this movie is the premise, which holds us but is never truly given life.