Written by: Joshua Heine
As a male who loves the drama, action and science fiction genres, it is difficult for me to enjoy most romantic films. They often lack substance, contain numerous clichés and feature poor acting and writing. In order to pique my interests, a romance needs to be compelling, well-written, well-acted and have some male character that I can relate to in some fashion (hence the reasons why I love “You’ve Got Mail” and enjoy the 2005 version of “Pride & Prejudice”). For these reasons (and more), I love the new film “Her.” A brilliantly acted and well-written film, “Her” combines the tensions of a drama, the love of a romance and the philosophy of a science fiction film into a vibrant, poignant film that questions the nature of love and the future of technology.
In “Her,” Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a soon-to-be-divorced Los Angeles writer who composes romantic letters for couples. He lives vicariously through his work, pouring his unused romanticism into the letters purchased by others in order to please their significant others. In order to cope with his loneliness, he purchases a new operating system named OS1 that contains a partially sentient artificial intelligence (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) designed to assist the owner in every facet of daily life. He soon discovers that this artificial intelligence (A.I.), who names itself “Samantha,” continually learns and evolves to gain a personality, emotions and even dreams. Soon Twombly becomes romantically attached to Samantha, and they attempt to build a loving relationship despite their obvious (and unobvious) differences.
Writer and director Spike Jonze brilliantly uses “Her” as a vehicle to highlight several themes. The most important and evident one is the nature of love: viewing Twombly’s relationship with Samantha and his interactions with ex-wife Catherine (Rooney Mara) forces us to ask ourselves, “Is it the lovers themselves or how love is conveyed that makes love real?”Jonze also analyzes the nature of a relationship between a human and an A.I., such as enjoying dates together, resolving relationship issues, maintaining emotional intimacy and availability, creating physical affection and sexual activity and coping with an A.I. that is trying to understand itself and evolve into something more.
What makes “Her” so poignant and heartfelt is Phoenix and Johansson use emotion so powerfully. Phoenix’s gloomy demeanor and frustration create a realistic portrait of an introvert so injured by failed love that many male viewers could easily identify with his predicament. Johansson, the true star of the film, proved that she is far more than a pretty face with her performance. Disembodied and contained within a computer, her voice is so emotional, gentle and filled with a subtle humanity, that one would think a real human had been trapped within that operating system.
The other elements of “Her” only continue to add to the spectacle. The camera movements are fluid and the close-up shots of Phoenix are close enough to highlight his emotions, but not be invasive. The environment is a pleasant mix of future and retro: the stunning, futuristic architecture of Los Angeles creates a clean, yet warm ambience with sleek skyscrapers, and the fashion consists of warm colored wool clothing (such as high-waisted pants for men). This near-future concept not only causes the viewer to ponder what society will become; it also serves as a vehicle for discussing modern romance.
