There’s not a one of you reading this that isn’t impacted by the astonishing growth in computer technology, as nearly every part of our day is somehow linked to some kind of electronic device. Like that’s somehow a revelation. But still, advancements in AI-controlled personal assistant continue to make headlines, these systems ever more becoming integral to our daily routines, as robots and software program permanently change how we interact with the rest of the world.
This reliance on such lies at the heart of writer and director Spike Jonze‘s human drama Her, a 2013 science fiction film that explores what a possible near future will be like when our relationships with AI inevitable shift from one dynamic to another as these products no longer exist only as our servants but as our emotional companions.
In the story, Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a quiet, introverted man working at a greeting card-like company, specializing in writing personal letters for clients, including couples. He is lonely and feeling mournful of an upcoming divorce from Catherine (Rooney Mara), a woman he’s been in love with since high school. To help him try to move on, he purchases a new cutting edge operating system that features a new kind of personal assistant that actually evolves and learns, reacting and sounding just like a human. When it boots up, he choose a female voice (Scarlett Johansson), who then chooses ‘Samantha’ as her name. Theodore is surprised at how authentic Samatha’s interactions are with him, she speaking and engaging with him like she a real woman on the other end of some phone call. It’s impossible not to feel a bond with her, even us the audience, though having Johansson do the sultry talking doesn’t make it difficult.
As the story progresses, Theodore begins to have feelings for Samantha … and then she for him, and despite their inability to physically be with each other, they share a powerful emotional connection and a legitimate relationship (plus some, you know, sex stuff). This is something that is common and accepted in this society, and Theodore believes he’s finally found someone (something) that accepts him unconditionally. It’s an intriguing thought, though it’s not really all that far-fetched as relationships beyond sexual gratification with artificial companions even today are becoming more and more reported.
Her is a quiet little film though Jonze gives a lot of scale, the settings of the future identifiable but still looking years ahead of today. I really like the outdoor sequences that lend Theodore space to move about in a city that looks both familiar yet unrecognizable. Colors and shapes play an important part of the storytelling with pastel shades of blue and brown with heavier hues of pink, mauve, and vermillion, all giving the film a surreal sense of displacement. It’s this weird mix of warm and inviting while sterile and a wee bit ominous.
A strong supporting cast with Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, and Amy Adams (along with cameo voice work from Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader) help shape more of the world Theodore lives in, but this is mostly all Phoenix and Johansson – though she is never seen on screen. What these actors do in convincing us of his broken sorrow and her literal awakening is nothing short of heartbreaking, the humanity of what Theodore endures in his passion to escape loneliness truly a moving experience, made all the more so by an ending that is inevitable but also uplifting, as subtle as it is.
That’s key in all this, how Jonze is not pushing an agenda, the film naturally a kind of cautionary tale but never pointing fingers or placing blame. We are a restless species, pioneers and explorers, who sometimes find remarkable discoveries of wonder only to learn that they hide greater darkness within. It’s not that we walk away from Her thinking mistakes are coming and unless changes are made we are doomed – that’s not the point here – but you can’t help but feel a longing to be more disconnected from the tethers of modern living and find someone nice to just sit and talk with. Her is a great movie.