a view of alex garland s film ex machina
In the bathroom landscape in Former mate Machina (2015), Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) performs a test out on him self, to see if he is an android just like Ava, and, as he has just discovered, Kyoko. While one could think this kind of scene should resolve the question, it simply muddies the. As Caleb examines himself in the reflect, green and blue digital effects flash on his deal with. Is this an event of the reflection, or a HUD of Caleb’s potentially robotic eyes? Or perhaps it is a non-diegetic element entirely to heighten the viewer’s curiosity. Sound design plays an important role with this scene as well. As he brings at his teeth, small just click sounds exhale from his mouth, that could be plastic material pieces snapping, or just requirements of his fingers simply clicking his teeth. The score features electronic musical instruments and synthesizers playing non-lyrical rising colors. This both reflects a mechanical mood, hinting that Caleb could possibly be an android, and instills a feeling of rising anxiety with the viewer, anxiously looking forward to a uncover.
The cinematography is vital to this scene’s function. The camera function toys together with the viewer, first with speedy, noncontinuous reduces, followed by lengthy, suspenseful shots, keeping the target audience disoriented and unable to foresee the tempo of the landscape. As the scene advances, the lighting shifts to emphasize his bone tissue structure, fascinating the audience to determine what is listed below his skin.
A particular shot is composed so that Caleb’s arm and body contact form a triangle with his confront obscured behind it. This isolates the audience coming from Caleb, making the viewer wonder if they will trust and relate to him anymore. Are these claims a moment of revelation for him when he looks at his cut open up arm? The framing of the shot, together with his eye at the top of the triangle formed simply by his equip and human body, is extremely slightly reminiscent of the Masons and illuminati symbol, that could allude to the conspiracy facing Caleb.
What is many compelling through this scene is definitely Gleeson’s performance. What kind of human can cut deep within their own adjustable rate mortgage without a lot as flinching or uttering a sound of discomfort? Though this individual begins the scene frenzied and wondering, he ends the field staring at his reflection, unblinking in a very Terminator-like fashion. This individual ends the scene by simply punching the mirror, building a shatter which in turn very poetically mirrors the shatter for the glass between him and Ava.
Though this kind of ultimately demonstrates to be a reddish colored herring, this scene basically convinces the viewer that Caleb is definitely likewise a robot.
