4. Ex Machina
Another great directorial debut from 2015 is also about women who aren't what they seem, although in the case of Ex Machina, the cutting edge of technology plays a crucial role in the unfolding dilemma as opposed to Spring's nod back to ancient mythology. Alex Garland has come a long way since his debut novel The Beach, with a number of screenplays under his belt, including the low budget science fiction movies Sunshine and Dredd. His first time behind the camera, Ex Machina, is remarkably assured - restrained rather than showy with an emphasis on the moral dilemmas posed by the creation of artificial intelligence. Oscar Issac and Domhall Gleeson are fine as the reclusive inventor and employee conducting the Turing test on the AI android, but it is Alicia Vikander's robot Ava who brings this chilling parable about the limits of technology to life.