Ex Machina is a 2014 science fiction film written and directed by Alex Garland. The term 'Deus Ex Machina' is derived from the Latin phrase meaning 'God from the Machine'. It is used to describe a plot device in which a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and conveniently resolved by an unexpected and seemingly unlikely occurrence. In Ex Machina, this occurs when the protagonist, Caleb, is saved from certain death by an artificial intelligence robot named Ava.