‘Ex Machina’ director Alex Garland causes controversy with political differences are not “moral issues” comments

18 March, 2024

Alex Garland

Ex Machina director Alex Garland’s recent comments about political differences not being “moral issues” have caused controversy on social media.

Garland was speaking in a recent interview about his new film Civil War, which imagines a dystopian future when the USA is engaged in the titular conflict.

During the interview, he said that he thought political differences had been made into a matter of morality, which he argued was “fucking idiotic”.

“Left and right are ideological arguments about how to run a state. That’s all they are,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “They are not a right or wrong, or good and bad. It’s which do you think has greater efficacy? That’s it.

“But we’ve made it into ‘good and bad.’ We made it into a moral issue, and it’s fucking idiotic, and incredibly dangerous … I personally [blame] some of this on social media.”

Garland’s remarks have sparked divisive responses among social media users. “What a hideously boring take for a filmmaker making a movie on the subject,” one person wrote.

“Hate it when you make your existence and bodily autonomy and stuff into a moral issue,” said another, while a third added: “Politics *are* a moral issue. This is infuriatingly obtuse.”

Meanwhile, Jeff VanderMeer, the best-selling author of Annihilation – whose film adaptation was directed by Garland – called him out for his comments.

VanderMeer re-shared a post by Garland alongside the phrase “self-annihilation” – an intentional play on the title of the project they worked on.

Civil War will come to cinemas next month after premiering at SXSW last week.

 

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