Two films to come out fairly recently, Ex Machina directed by Alex Garland and Creative Control directed by Benjamin Dickinson, both explore humanity's relationship with technology. These films are all the more relevant as they were released in the current era known as the iPhone generation, in which technology has expanded and evolved so much that the premises in these films don't seem too far off from where we are now. Something I think both films touch on greatly is that humans may be flawed, but much of the technology they make may not be, which could cause the technology made to surpass the original creators. This is particularly related to artificial intelligence, which is the main technology focused on in both Ex Machina and Creative Control.
While Ex Machina in my personal opinion is definitely the superior film, it is also the more obvious one. A sci-fi thriller set in a remote compound, complete with a synthesizer score that recalls the futuristic classics of the 1980's, a la Blade Runner and Terminator. What I find most notable in Ex Machina though is the characterization and portrayal of Oscar Isaac's character Nathan Bateman, a genius with a God complex (wait, is that like a thing?) who has an answer for everything. For the vast majority of the film, Nathan can respond to any of Caleb's (Domhnall Gleeson) qualms or worries regarding the creation and software of Ava (Alicia Vikander), an fully functioning piece of artificial intelligence. Nathan stubbornly believes that no matter how progressively capable and possibly dangerous Ava seems, he is in control because he created her and he is a human being, therefore he is the superior. However, in the film's climax, Nathan is murdered by Ava with the help of another AI, Kyoko, when he attempts to stop Ava from leaving his research facility. There is a moment as the AIs jam a large knife into Nathan that he looks up at them with such disbelief, he can only utter, "What the fuck." What the fuck indeed. Nathan's end is both horrifying and ironic, as the man with an answer for everything cannot explain what leads him to his end. I viewed this as a warning by Garland that while we as a species may be accomplishing amazing things with AI and other tech, we should also be cautious when playing with the idea of life.
Creative Control is of a very different genre, as it is a sci-fi social satire, yet it is nonetheless quite disturbing in the way it shows how strong technology's grasp is over human beings in today's times. David (Benjamin Dickinson) is shown to be a guy who both hates technology, but cannot seem to fathom his life without it, even in spite of illusions he gives himself that he could live without it. Feeling depressed and desiring his best friend's girlfriend, Sophie (Alexia Rasmussen), he creates an AI version of her to pleasure himself with. Although he created this piece of tech, the AI has all the control over David as he submits to it in exchange for the feelings of elation and fulfillment it brings him. However, as this creation of his comes to light and he deals with it in the face of his best friend, Sophie, and his girlfriend Juliette (Nora Zehetner), David comes to realize the gross control the AI has over him and how it has ruined him. When David follows this revelation by telling Juliette they should move far away and start over in order to get away from the technology and everything, Juliette agrees to and David decides he will leave his tech job that is driving him crazy. However, when his company tells him about the success of David's product and his ascendancy in the tech world, Juliette already knows he won't be able to turn away from this life and goes into the kitchen to make dinner. Both of these films end extremely ominously and both films end with an ambiguous yet frightening future for us to ponder, as we wonder what happens after the screen fades to black. Not only is that a sign of good filmmaking, it also helps us see that maybe we should take a look at ourselves as people before downloading the newest Angry Birds update.
No comments:
Post a Comment