By Published on

A Different Lens on Ex Machina

mv5bmtq1mta4nzyxmv5bml5banbnxkftztgwndgxnju2nde40-_v1__sx640_sy720__large

The film Ex Machina can be viewed in many lights. The one that struck me the most was, "I'm watching a film about power and control over victims."

Here are some more random thoughts I noted as I watched the movie:

  • only the women are naked, often, and for long, slow panning shots
  • the women are controlled, raped, and abused by their creator--of course, a man
  • all of the men in the film are white and of European descent
  • the closets are full of "dead" women
  • the clothes Ava chooses to traipse through the forest are something few women would choose on their own
  • women are all cold, manipulative, and dangerous and this therefore implies their abuse is justified
  • in classic abuser fashion, the abuser is portrayed as a victim in the end
  • this is like some demented fantasy of what white men think is every man's fantasy
  • Nathan abuses everyone, including the other men. Often, he shows off his physique to declare himself as the Alpha male in the house.

I really wanted this to be more like "I, Robot", https://twitter.com/AndrewLewman/status/591798794393690113

Thanks to SC for surviving the movie and shared thoughts.