Literary Analysis (Film)
A Literary Analysis of Ex Machina (2015)
In Alex Garland’s 2015 film Ex Machina, Ava is introduced as the first human-level artificial intelligence. Her creator, Nathan, tasks his employee Caleb with evaluating her AI and discerning whether she is capable of human thought and consciousness. Aware that she is being watched, Ava, designed to look like a woman, exploits her sexuality to manipulate Caleb. Ava desires freedom and by enticing Caleb to want her, she capitalizes on his desire for her. While Caleb is motivated by Ava’s sexuality and novelty, Ava is motivated by her desire to be free. Because she is aware of being watched, she uses her sexuality to appeal to Caleb and to steer the conversation in the direction of her choosing. Because Ava is aware of this voyeurism, her actions are calculated and manipulative. This cunning display of warring desire can be seen within the first meeting of Caleb and Ava, where every movement, every word is carefully chosen to elicit the reaction that she wants: to be wanted.
Ava is first introduced as an object meant to be observed and evaluated; however, by the end of the scene she indicates that she is watching Caleb just as much as he is watching her. In the “Breaking the ice” scene when Caleb first meets Ava, she is kept behind glass, limiting interaction with her to observation and conversation. While Caleb can verbally interact with her, he can only do so through the glass barrier, which also acts as a screen. The room itself resembles a fish bowl, with the scenery behind Ava reminiscent of an aquarium, indicating that Ava is trapped in a space where she is meant to be observed. The camera focuses on her as she slowly walks across the room, with soothing and harmonious music playing, which serves to highlight her femininity. Her slow gait allows for maximum viewing and is the beginning of Ava’s manipulation; she wants to be looked at. From Caleb’s perspective, Ava appears behind glass; however, from Ava’s perspective, this perception is shifted and Caleb appears behind glass. This is the first indication that Ava is watching Caleb just as much as Caleb is watching her.
Ava’s portrayal as an object is merely a ruse; she is very much in control, specifically through her designed sexuality. While the manifest content of her body design is one of chastity, the latent content is one of sexuality. Through the use of materials, her design directs the audience’s gaze to the areas that are kept covered. While her arms, legs, neck, and stomach are exposed machinery encased in a clear polymer material, her face and hands are flesh and her breasts and genitals are covered in a grey fabric. Though she is machine, she is clearly designed to be female, and her feminine body parts are kept covered. It is the difference in material that draw more attention to these areas. Had her entire torso followed the design of her arms and legs, it would lack sexual suggestion. By covering the areas of sexuality, significance is assigned to them. A machine has no need for privacy, yet it is afforded to her.
Ava’s design and resulting femininity, along with the novelty of her creation, contribute to Caleb’s awe and attraction. Caleb’s initial reaction to Ava is one of rapture and desire; he is unable to take his eyes off her. As the camera cuts to Caleb, he appears awestruck as she enters the room. Caleb’s response, and the camera’s continued focus on Ava, suggests that the audience should identify with Caleb in this scene and view Ava as Caleb views her. He can’t stop staring at her and, held captive by the camera’s focus, neither can the audience. Mulvey would describe Ava as the “object of the combined gaze of spectator and all the male protagonists in the film” (13). Her slow walk and movements indicate that she is aware of this fact and chooses to exploit it.
While in the beginning of the scene, Ava is an objectified passive character, by the scene’s end, through her exploitative sexuality, the balance of power has shifted and Ava becomes an active character, dictating the next course of action through a manipulative conversation with Caleb. In the beginning of the scene, Caleb asks Ava her name and tells her they need to break the ice. The imperative language indicates that he is in control. This is further evidenced when he declares “let’s have a conversation.” While conversations are generally voluntary interactions, his invitation to Ava to engage in conversation is posed as a demand. Ava’s passive response “what would you like to have a conversation about?” gives the power to Caleb to drive the discussion. Ava begins to shift the conversation into her control that she is “one” and refusing to give him any further clarification. At this point in the scene, the music turns more ominous, further indicating a shift in the mood and power. In a conversation about language acquisition, Ava challenges Caleb to agree that there is something about her that is strange or different. When Caleb doesn’t take the bait, Ava discontinues the conversation and asks Caleb if he will come back tomorrow. This is dismissive and indicates that the power is shifting from Caleb to Ava. While Caleb decided when their conversation would begin, Ava determined its ending.
At the end of the scene, the camera cuts to a shirtless Nathan, who watches the pair from a computer screen, taking notes. The audience then becomes the ultimate voyeur, watching Nathan watch Caleb watch Ava. It is the pleasure in watching, which Mulvey references in describing Freud’s concept of scopophilia as a “pre-genital auto-eroticism, after which the pleasure of the look is transferred to others by analogy” (8-9). Nathan receives pleasure from watching Ava and we, as an audience, receive pleasure from watching him watching. As an audience, we buy-in to the notion that watching is sexy. We want to see more. We want to see what’s beneath the gray fabric and uncover all of Ava’s secrets. We are Caleb and we are Nathan, but perhaps more surprisingly, we are also Ava. When faced with being watched, wouldn’t you attempt to use it to your advantage?
Ava is first introduced as an object meant to be observed and evaluated; however, by the end of the scene she indicates that she is watching Caleb just as much as he is watching her. In the “Breaking the ice” scene when Caleb first meets Ava, she is kept behind glass, limiting interaction with her to observation and conversation. While Caleb can verbally interact with her, he can only do so through the glass barrier, which also acts as a screen. The room itself resembles a fish bowl, with the scenery behind Ava reminiscent of an aquarium, indicating that Ava is trapped in a space where she is meant to be observed. The camera focuses on her as she slowly walks across the room, with soothing and harmonious music playing, which serves to highlight her femininity. Her slow gait allows for maximum viewing and is the beginning of Ava’s manipulation; she wants to be looked at. From Caleb’s perspective, Ava appears behind glass; however, from Ava’s perspective, this perception is shifted and Caleb appears behind glass. This is the first indication that Ava is watching Caleb just as much as Caleb is watching her.
Ava’s portrayal as an object is merely a ruse; she is very much in control, specifically through her designed sexuality. While the manifest content of her body design is one of chastity, the latent content is one of sexuality. Through the use of materials, her design directs the audience’s gaze to the areas that are kept covered. While her arms, legs, neck, and stomach are exposed machinery encased in a clear polymer material, her face and hands are flesh and her breasts and genitals are covered in a grey fabric. Though she is machine, she is clearly designed to be female, and her feminine body parts are kept covered. It is the difference in material that draw more attention to these areas. Had her entire torso followed the design of her arms and legs, it would lack sexual suggestion. By covering the areas of sexuality, significance is assigned to them. A machine has no need for privacy, yet it is afforded to her.
Ava’s design and resulting femininity, along with the novelty of her creation, contribute to Caleb’s awe and attraction. Caleb’s initial reaction to Ava is one of rapture and desire; he is unable to take his eyes off her. As the camera cuts to Caleb, he appears awestruck as she enters the room. Caleb’s response, and the camera’s continued focus on Ava, suggests that the audience should identify with Caleb in this scene and view Ava as Caleb views her. He can’t stop staring at her and, held captive by the camera’s focus, neither can the audience. Mulvey would describe Ava as the “object of the combined gaze of spectator and all the male protagonists in the film” (13). Her slow walk and movements indicate that she is aware of this fact and chooses to exploit it.
While in the beginning of the scene, Ava is an objectified passive character, by the scene’s end, through her exploitative sexuality, the balance of power has shifted and Ava becomes an active character, dictating the next course of action through a manipulative conversation with Caleb. In the beginning of the scene, Caleb asks Ava her name and tells her they need to break the ice. The imperative language indicates that he is in control. This is further evidenced when he declares “let’s have a conversation.” While conversations are generally voluntary interactions, his invitation to Ava to engage in conversation is posed as a demand. Ava’s passive response “what would you like to have a conversation about?” gives the power to Caleb to drive the discussion. Ava begins to shift the conversation into her control that she is “one” and refusing to give him any further clarification. At this point in the scene, the music turns more ominous, further indicating a shift in the mood and power. In a conversation about language acquisition, Ava challenges Caleb to agree that there is something about her that is strange or different. When Caleb doesn’t take the bait, Ava discontinues the conversation and asks Caleb if he will come back tomorrow. This is dismissive and indicates that the power is shifting from Caleb to Ava. While Caleb decided when their conversation would begin, Ava determined its ending.
At the end of the scene, the camera cuts to a shirtless Nathan, who watches the pair from a computer screen, taking notes. The audience then becomes the ultimate voyeur, watching Nathan watch Caleb watch Ava. It is the pleasure in watching, which Mulvey references in describing Freud’s concept of scopophilia as a “pre-genital auto-eroticism, after which the pleasure of the look is transferred to others by analogy” (8-9). Nathan receives pleasure from watching Ava and we, as an audience, receive pleasure from watching him watching. As an audience, we buy-in to the notion that watching is sexy. We want to see more. We want to see what’s beneath the gray fabric and uncover all of Ava’s secrets. We are Caleb and we are Nathan, but perhaps more surprisingly, we are also Ava. When faced with being watched, wouldn’t you attempt to use it to your advantage?
Works Cited
Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Screen, Volume 16, Issue 3, 1 October 1975, Pages 6–18,
https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/16.3.6
https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/16.3.6