10 Sci-Fi Fan Theories That Make The Films Better

Much has been written about Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, with the mind behind The Beach and Annihilation having his film picked apart by debate and conversation as much as his film’s antagonist Nathan picks apart his own creations through the same interminable tests. Of course, it’s just the android Ava who is being tested in this flick—or is it?

According to one Reddit user, our protagonist and audience insertion persona Caleb, ably played by The Little Stranger’s Domhnall Gleeson, is also an android unbeknownst to himself—a reality hinted at in the film. There are tons of little details hinting at this possibility, chief amongst them the fact that Caleb fails to describe tastes when pressed by Nathan, is confined to a box during his interviews with Ava, and is simply informed “you” when he asks Nathan the purpose of his tests.

Most interesting, however, is the unsettling note that Nathan claims Ava can’t process empathy, something his much more impressive follow-up model can manage. According to this theory, that’s why she sees no issue with trapping him when freeing herself, and why he helps her escape in the first place.