Where to watch Ex Machina (US)
A Turing test in the woods
Ex Machina is set almost completely inside one remote house. A young programmer wins a week at his boss's secluded estate and discovers why: he's there to test whether a humanoid robot can pass as conscious. Alicia Vikander plays Ava, and her movement is so precise it's hard to believe she isn't a machine. Oscar Isaac is the boss, and his sudden dance scene is one of the weirdest moments in modern sci-fi.
The small film that beat Star Wars
It cost around $15 million, and it won the Oscar for visual effects, beating Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Every conversation feels like a game of chess where you're never sure who's winning. With AI everywhere now, it feels a lot less like science fiction than it did in 2014.
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Cast and crew
Director: Alex Garland
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac
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