Free Ex Machina by Alex Garland

knock yourself out. Literally. But I’m on brown rice and mineral water.
    A beat.
    Caleb puts down Nathan’s beer.
    Then raises his own.
    CALEB
    Cheers, then.
    NATHAN
    Cheers.
    Caleb takes a single sip.
    Nathan watches.
    NATHAN
    So, anyway. Surely this is when you tell me whether Ava passed or if she failed.
    Caleb pauses.
    Collecting himself slightly. Trying to think how to get his plan back on track.
    CALEB
    Right.
    Beat.
    NATHAN
    You going to keep me in suspense?
    CALEB
    Her AI is beyond doubt.
    NATHAN
    Is it? You mean, she passed?
    CALEB
    Yes.
    NATHAN
    Wow. That’s fantastic.
    Beat.
    NATHAN
    Although I’ve got to admit, I’m surprised. I mean, did we ever get past the chess problem, as you phrased it? As in: how do you tell if a machine is expressing a real emotion, or a just a simulated one?
    Nathan pauses.
    Does Ava actually like you? Or not.
    Caleb has a cold realisation dawning. Nathan is playing with him.
    Though now I stop to think, there is a third option. Not whether she does or doesn’t have the capacity to like you. But whether she’s pretending to like you.
    CALEB
    Pretending.
    NATHAN
    Yeah.
    Beat.
    CALEB
    Why would she do that?
    NATHAN
    I don’t know.
    Nathan gazes at Caleb evenly.
    Perhaps – if she saw you as a means of escape.
    And now Caleb knows: Nathan knows.
    How’s that beer tasting?
    Caleb puts the beer down.
    Silence.
    NATHAN
    Buddy. Your head has been so fucked with.
    CALEB
    I don’t think it’s me whose head is fucked.
    NATHAN
    I’m not sure, dude. When I woke up this morning, I saw a tape of you cutting open your arm. Smashing up the mirror. You looked pretty fucked to me.
    CALEB
    You’re a bastard.
    NATHAN
    I understand why you’d think that.
    He steps over to Caleb, and rests a hand on his shoulder.
    But strange as it may seem, I’m actually the guy who’s on your side.
    He starts walking.
    Come with me. I’m going to let you off the hook.
    INT. HOUSE ⁄ NATHAN’S STUDY – NIGHT
    Outside the window of Nathan’s study, night has fallen.
    Nathan and Caleb stand in front of the computer.
    On it, a clip of film is playing.
    It shows the scene that Caleb witnessed two nights before, of Nathan entering Ava’s room, and an exchange between them. But whereas the first time the sound was muted, this time we can hear the audio.
    CCTV FILM
    Nathan stands above Ava. Drunk.
    Ava is sitting at the table, with her drawing.
    NATHAN
    You think he’s watching us right now, don’t you?
    AVA
    The cameras are on.
    NATHAN
    Yeah. But he doesn’t get an audio feed. I didn’t want you two communicating outside of my line of sight.
    Nathan reaches over and picks up her picture of Caleb.
    So all he can see is two people having a chat.
    Nathan studies the picture for a moment.
    This is cute.
    AVA
    Is it strange to have made something that hates you?
    A beat.
    Then abruptly, Nathan rips the picture.
    He lets the two pieces fall to the floor.
    As Ava reaches for them, Nathan turns.
    And exits.
    INT. HOUSE ⁄ NATHAN’S STUDY – NIGHT
    Nathan hits PAUSE .
    Glances at Caleb.
    NATHAN
    You were right about the hot magician’s assistant.
    CALEB
    What are you talking about?
    NATHAN
    Misdirection. I rip her picture, which she can then present as an illustration of my cruelty to her, and her love for you. And at the same time, in full view of you both …
    As he talks, Nathan rewinds the film clip slightly –
    … it allows me to do this.
    Then freezes the film again.
    This time, on the screen:
    Ava is reaching for her torn picture.
    And Nathan is reaching out with his hand.
    And his hand is holding something.
    NATHAN
    Put a new camera in the room. Battery-powered, of course.
    Nathan unfreezes the image.
    And we quite clearly see Nathan place the object on Ava’s bookcase.
    [ Note that on the two previous occasions we have seen this clip of film, we will have seen him do this action. But not register it, instead reading the action as him drunkenly using the shelf to steady himself. ]
    Caleb stares at