Bluebeardean Futures in Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2015)

Abstract

Utilising a feminist psychoanalytical approach to Alex Garland's Ex Machina (2015), this article explores contemporary forms of female entrapment – particularly the sexual exploitation of women and the gendered influence of pornography on sexual identities. Garland’s critique of technological patriarchy manifests itself through his reworking of the Bluebeard narrative; however, the film also conforms to typified heteronormative representations of women through its reproduction of familiar cinematic tropes and norms. Moreover, the climactic escape of the central female character combines ambivalence towards technological advancement with dread of female sexuality in a way that problematises feminist interpretations, despite its emancipatory suggestions. This paper examines Ex Machina as part of a feminist Bluebeard tradition that acts as a critique of current cultural norms that shape and control heteronormative desire, and a male gothic tradition that reflects fears regarding female-ness, abjection and the maternal.