Two Films – Two Futures

Ex Machina starring Alicia Vikander

Arrival starring Amy Adams

Two excellent films; one in 2015 exploring the world we are moving into, where Artificial Intelligence could begin to mimic and possibly surpass our own, the second in 2016 with the arrival of Alien Intelligence on Earth, in a way that is enigmatic.

Both films are designed to make us think, rather than just to entertain.

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Ex Machina

The issue of AI is a very important one. In Ex Machina, the question is whether Ava, who is an artificial intelligence, really experiences feelings. In other words, does she show humanity, can she feel empathy? This issue is explored through the eyes of Caleb, a young Internet programmer who is somewhat thrown when sexuality seems to enter in.
The film is in parts humorous, challenging and raises incredibly important questions. It is a must watch for a deeper understanding of the world into which we are moving, with very little awareness of the risks.

Arrival

We might say that AI is already with us, but aliens are definitely not. NASA is apparently suggesting that in the next 20 years we may discover there is life, somewhere out in the vastness of the Cosmos.
But, you do not have to look very hard to see that there is a wealth of evidence that we are already in contact with intelligences that are not yet officially acknowledged.

Now anyone who starts to research this properly finds it is immensely complex, involving hidden corporate programmes, as well as 'off-world' entities that may have been involved in Earth's development over millennia. There are two starting points for establishing something serious has been going on for many years. The first is Steven Greer's Disclosure announcement at the National Press Club in Washington in 2001. The second is to watch a chunk of The Citizen's Hearings in 2013. It is really hard to do the latter and come away saying "nothing is going on"; none of the US Congressmen and women who were on the panel would agree with you.

Arrival is an immensely clever film. It is hard to write much about it without giving away some aspects of the plot that are best discovered by watching the film. What we learn at the outset, is that extraterrestrial craft have arrived on Earth in 12 locations. We follow (naturally enough) the progress made by the American military and civilian experts in learning how to handle this strange and challenging situation.

Are they friendly? Who are they? What do they want?

To get answers to questions like that you need a linguist. Enter Amy Adams as a professor of linguistics.

For those partly in the know, the places the aliens arrive at suggest the film makers at least are cognoscente of the idea of a positive grid of energy centres around the Earth. The map that is shown at one point and resembles similar grid maps that can be found on esoteric sites.

The film is quite simply, brilliantly structured. We learn early on of the presence of Amy Adam's daughter ... and she asks a question regarding the meaning of the word 'palindrome', and we find the film has certain palindromic qualities, being multi-layered as well as having gripping action.

To say more would be to risk giving away some of the film's powerful revelatory moments. Hollywood undoubtedly plays with our heads (not least with the name Holly-wood). But this can be in a good way as well as in a way that does not serve the highest good. In this case the film challenges us to think through what it is to come up against a civilisation far ahead of ours technologically.  What should be our response?

Both films are ones to see with a friend ... as both deserve to be discussed afterwards. And both are representative of a future that may be closer than we care to think.