The allegory of love vs recognition and validation which is the aspiration of excellence.

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2020)

Parsing the minutia of this movie is a joy. Heeding to the deeply intellectual dialogue between the two coders is a treat, but the intriguing part was more to understand the metaphors of the movie. Nathan (Oscar Isaac) was an extremely brilliant scientist; guarded by his riches and success he secluded himself in the purpose of excellence and greatness. He was also cold and cerebral, trying to insulate himself as much as he could from mediocrity and stupidity, physically and mentally. It is the allegory of love vs the ruthlessness of recognition and validation which is the aspiration of excellence. Nathan viewed his creation as evolution rather than a decision. Rarely do we get to see vulnerability in him that would connect us to his humanity; instead we saw rejection and sanguinary comport, like a tyrannical psychopathic father.
The contrast between the shots of the interior and exterior were a good addition to alleviate the gloomy, cold, and claustrophobic atmosphere that Nathan had constructed. The exterior shots were beautiful landscapes invigorating, relaxing, remembrances of the beauty of just existing without attempting to perfectly construct anything: nature. Maybe the strict, impassive, perfectionist tone that Nathan builds is what makes the viewer is somewhat resistant to, the atmosphere inside the estate.
The dialogue between AVA and Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) was also a highlight in the movie. AVA's inquisitive attitude put Caleb on his feet, repeatedly. She was intentionally attempting to be invasive to be able to connect with him. It is an experiment of persuasion and manipulation, coupled with subterfuge. Nathan even explained this to Caleb, with no fruition. The mistake was done, by the quasi-perfect scientist, and the moral of the story seemed to be not to experiment with entities that could potentially be catastrophic for mankind; but as Nathan did it there are many events currently being experimented in that fashion. Artistic endeavors come up with premonitions that are worth considering.