Whenever we think about Artificial Intelligence (AI), we immediately think about films such as Terminator or The Matrix, where technology ultimately decides to kill all humans, or something equally extreme. However, in the film Her, Spike Jonze depicts a more benevolent relationship between humans and AI. Through a love story about a human and an operating system, this film not only examines how an artificially intelligent operating system would change our personal lives, but it also looks at the effects technology has on society as a whole.
This film, set in the not-so-distant-future, first introduces us to Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a sad, disconnected man who is unhappy about his impending divorce. Despite the fact that people pay him to write lovely, heartfelt, personalized letters to their significant others, Theodore himself feels like he has kind of hit a low point in his personal life. He is unable to connect with anyone (nor does he want to... he misses being married and does not want to start a new relationship). That is, of course, until he gets a new operating system for his computers. The operating system is dubbed the “world’s first artificially intelligent operating system”, but as Theodore uses the new software, he realizes it is much more than that. The personalized OS (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) names herself Samantha, and Theodore quickly begins to think of her as an actual person. Even though she organizes his files and emails like any other OS would, she also makes him laugh, has profound discussions with him, is able to learn and grow psychologically, and thinks of herself as her own person. Samantha also wants to experience life and figure out her own existence, a quality that Theodore finds refreshing. Theodore quickly gets over his fear of commitment and he and Samantha fall in love. The rest of the film examines their relationship, and how his life is changed because of it.
The plot of this film is very unique. Sure, we’ve all seen movies where two people from different backgrounds fall in love, but few where one of the lovers is not technically human, and doesn’t even have a body. This only goes to show that Theodore has more than just some superficial love for Samantha.The structure of the plot was also interesting; it kind of started off bad, got better, got worse, then got better again. It definitely kept viewers enthralled. The only qualm I had with the plot of this film was the ending. I found it all a bit unsatisfying (and for the sake of not spoiling the movie, I will not describe specifically how so), and I really do wish that they could have described what would happen next more.
Through flawless acting by both Scarlett Johannson (or rather, voice acting) and Joaquin Phoenix, there is little room left for doubting the beautiful love Samantha and Theodore they have. As Theodore, Phoenix expertly portrays an awkward, lonely pessimist that is both relatable and likable. In one of the early scene, in which an OS is asking Theodore questions so they can personalize his artificially intelligent OS, Theodore responds with mumbles that turn into rants about his personal life. This scene shows viewers that all Theodore really needs is a friend to talk to. His acting makes his character seem real, and you can’t help but root for him as the story progresses. Johansson is also able to become a full, relatable character, and through only her voice. As Samantha, Johansson's cute giggles, passionate discussions with Theodore and witty delivery will have viewers finding themselves forgetting that she is an OS. The chemistry between the two actors was also great. Their on-screen love was so full and moving that it might even bring one to tears.
The cinematography in this film was fantastic, and definitely set the mood. The bright, hazy lighting that this film has makes for a futuristic, dream-like look. The shades of the film got warmer when the scene was happy and bluer when the scene was sad, which helped communicate how the characters in those scenes were feeling. The pan arounds and shots of landscapes really made you feel like you were there, and the overall effect was breath-taking. Because of the way it was filmed, it felt like we were seeing things from Theodore’s perspective. It was especially beautiful to see the view of the futuristic city that Theodore had from the balcony of his apartment. Though it was fairly similar to how it is today, the tall buildings, vibrant lights and sunsetting sky were mesmerizing none the less.
In addition, the dialogue in this film was fabulous. Though there were no grand speeches made in this film, the conversations between the characters really communicated some powerful messages. One such example is when Amy (Amy Adams), Theodore’s college buddy, was talking to Theodore about his relationship with Samantha. She told him, essentially, that he should not care about what anybody else thought about the relationship, as long as he himself felt happy. That philosophy can be taken and applied to many situations in life, and hearing Amy say that in the movie really struck a chord with me.
One of the best things about this film was being able to see Jonze’s ideas of what the future might be like. Through realistic special effects and cool props, Jonze perfectly describes to us how he believes technology will progress in the future, all while still advancing the story. Whether it be with the holographic, wireless video games that Theodore plays, or the shots of subways filled with people on these devices that utilize an earpiece and a small screen, you can’t help but be enveloped by the world that Jonze has created and relate it to our own. His ideas of the future are not only logical, but I would go so far as to say that they are realistic. The technology presented in this film is a logical progression of the technology now. We already have wireless, touch screened and motion censored video games, and a logical progression from all that would be holographic video games. We already have in-ear cell phones and smart phones, and a logical progression from all that would be a combination of the two. And, in the end, all Samantha would really be is a Siri that passed the Turing test (A test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human). With our technology advancing rapidly every day, I do not believe that anything in this film could never be a reality.
Another point that was definitely shown in this movie was how technology is affecting us as a society. Nowadays, people are constantly on their phones and are living life through a screen. In this film, no matter where it was that Theodore went, people were in their own worlds with their devices, Theodore included. During the time Theodore was having difficulty really connecting with others, he would spend a majority of his time on some sort of technological device, where everything he wanted was just a command away. Theodore’s ex-wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara), even brought attention to the fact that their marriage failed because he had a low tolerance for actual people and was unable to deal with feelings. It wasn’t until he had interactions with Samantha, an OS who was very human-like, that Theodore started really going out of his comfort zone and talking to other people, which seemed to make him feel happier and more loved. Through having Theodore as the protagonist, a man who was disconnected with the world and who spent a majority of his time with technology, I feel like this film brings attention to the fact that technology is disengaging us. Sure, Samantha was a technological device that helped Theodore socialize, but she was also artificially intelligent, meaning she was more human than the rest of the technology in this film. This movie really emphasizes that by bringing more and more technology into our everyday lives, we are lowering our tolerance for others and distancing ourselves from the outside world. I mean, after all, why be bothered with people when an entire, perfect world is just at your fingertips?
This film is definitely a must see. Its original plot, great acting, and astounding cinematography beautifully explores what might happen when we cannot tell the difference between a person and a computer. It also will definitely leave you questioning the impact technology is having on us as a whole.
(Written in my film review class)
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