Ex Machina, Alex Garland’s 2014 directorial debut, is leaving Netflix on 1 August. The article argues that the film remains unusually relevant because it treats artificial intelligence not only as science fiction, but as a study of male power, desire and the way women are viewed.

The story follows Caleb, a 26-year-old engineer invited to the isolated home of his wealthy technology-founder boss, Nathan. He is asked to assess Ava, a humanoid robot, through a version of the Turing test; if she succeeds, she may live, but if she fails, her code will be reused. As Caleb grows attached to Ava, the film blurs the boundary between human and machine while exposing shifting control and agency among its three central characters.