Review:
Her is a fascinating
and aesthetically compelling look at loneliness in the age of modern
relationships. The film is about Theodore Twombly, a writer who has recently split-up
with his wife and companion since childhood (seemingly not by his choice).
Theodore is stuck in the past, the good and the bad memories haunt him and he
is unable to move forward, transfixed in a stupor of loneliness and despair in
a world that seems closed off. That is until he installs a new intelligent and
aware operating system, which names itself Samantha. Theodore finds that he has
a real connection and affection for Samantha, and even thinks he might be
falling in love with her. But is it just another excuse for him to continue to
isolate himself from what is happening outside in the world of actual physical
people? The film is set in Los Angeles in the near future.
The concept behind Her is a bit
weird – a man who falls in love with his OS. But writer-director Spike Jonze wins
the audience over by making his lead character Theodore very relatable and by
using the concept as a way to explore the transformation of modern culture,
including modern relationships. That is not to say that the film does not
exhibit very quirky moments and characters, as it does – because, after all, it
is still a film by Jonze, a champion of the aesthetically interesting and conceptually
strange.
The look of the film is
fantastic. Things more or less feel similar to today, just a bit more compartmentalized
with LA (doubled at times by Shanghai’s Pudong district) looking more congested
(if that is possible) and featuring a lot more towers, interesting architecture,
and more colorful displays and lights (LA becoming more like an Asian
metropolis similar to Pudong or Tokyo). People are often alone in the film, engaged
with their electronic devices. Yet there are still people conversing with other
people in public as well; it is not a society that has completely become
modular, but it certainly seems to be trending that way.
With the advent of this new
advanced intelligence and awareness in the OS, people find that they can have
full experiences (be it friendship or on a deeper emotional level) without interacting
with real people. It is a logical next step in a culture that hires third
parties to compose personal correspondence for them (the job Theodore has – he writes
letters for people), a culture that is constantly online, whose main method of
communication involves technology, a culture that is not too far removed from
our own. Already, we interact socially online to such an extent that real life
contact is seemingly becoming a secondary activity, reserved only for specific
occasions and activities or a particular few people. We are content to
communicate via technology, often without the experience of actual human
interaction (i.e. sending text messages instead of physically talking to
someone in person or on the phone). Convenience has become paramount,
overshadowing other forms of interaction. Isolation is also in many ways easier
and less stressful. There are so many expectations when one ventures into the
world. Isolation and technology offer a protective shield.
Thus, in our world, our culture
is it not impossible to believe that the next step involves people engaging in meaningful
relationships with objects that emulate human emotion and for all intents and
purposes can imitate to the full extent possible the same experience that
people can have relationship wise through technology (i.e. conversations via
phone, text, email, et al.). If this is possible, what is the difference
between engaging emotionally with a real person and software if the interaction
is the same? In this way, Jonze makes Her and Theodore’s relationship with
Samantha feel real and emotionally vital. This scenario, while maybe
conceptually strange, is in fact very believable in context; plus, the audience
actually cares about not only Theodore but also Samantha. She might as well be
real because her personality and emotions sure seem to be.
And yet, Jonze seems to be making
a clear statement with the film that we as a culture have become too dependent
on technology as a means of social interaction. The film is completely
respectful to Samantha, treating her as an entity just as entitled to existence
as Theodore, but it seems to have an overall negative opinion of humanity
allowing society to become a grouping of isolated individuals who purposely cut
themselves off from the physical social world. Jonze does not like that print
is dead. That physical music (like records) is a novelty. That a beach crowded
with people actually features very few people who are in large to moderate
social groups. He does not like that we all walk around glued to our phones or
with earbuds thereby closing ourselves off from those around us. In this way,
the film is actually really sad.
Theodore is extremely lonely,
almost cripplingly so. He is so affected by his breakup with Catherine (his
wife) that he just cannot imagine jumping into another real physical
relationship. There is a gloomy cloud that follows him around (despite his
rather bright wardrobe choices). He is just a sad individual, and to some
extent has every right to be. It is
difficult to lose what you believe is everything you ever wanted, to lose the
person you thought was everything you needed. In this way, Theodore is very
relatable for the audience. We have all been there (to varying degrees). Heartbreak
is a powerful emotional experience, one that often holds us back. We can
recognize ourselves in Theodore – his sadness, his loneliness, his guarded hope
that maybe one day he will be happy again, and his fear of being hurt again.
Samantha too engages us. She too wins us over with her spunkiness and charm,
her wonder, joy, and excitement for life. It is infectious, because for us life
has become mundane and tedious (maybe not all the time, but enough that we are
drawn in by visceral passion).
But, Jonze’s argument against
what our culture has becomes starts to become more and more apparent as
Theodore’s relationship with Samantha develops and changes. Humans need
physical interaction. It is a vital part of our ability to experience life and
emotions fully. We are so lonely and life has become so tedious because this
physical interaction (and not just random meaningless sex) is a necessary component
and it is missing. We need to experience the world and not just look at
pictures; we need to have things in our hands to fully engage in the experience
(be it reading an actual book, playing an actual sport or game, taking the
record out of its sleeve and putting on the player) rather than just looking at
the same screen all day. We need to do these activities with other people who
are there in person and not just avatars online, because at that point does it
even matter if they are real or not.
Her works because it is touching
and emotionally captivating, and to some extent a rallying call to get out
there and live our lives. We care about these characters and see ourselves in
them (our own hopes, dreams, insecurities, and pain). And on top of all that,
Jonze presents a world that is vibrant with aesthetically alluring sights and
sounds. The film is a masterwork of style, narrative, and emotional resonance.
Technical,
aesthetic & acting achievements: Spike Jonze is known for his
catalogue of great and interesting music videos (including The Breeders’ Cannonball, Weezer’s Buddy Holly, the Beastie
Boys’ Sabotage, Fatboy
Slim’s Weapon of Choice,
and Kanye West’s Flashing
Lights). Jonze has also made some of the most creatively striking and
eccentric commercial films. His first two, collaborating with writer Charlie Kaufman,
are both great: Being John Malkovich
and Adaptation.
His third was the uneven adaptation of Where
the Wild Things Are. While aesthetically quite good, it just does not work
once Max is immersed in his imaginary world where base emotions rule. With Her,
Jonze has made his best film to date. It is just as aesthetically dynamic and
interesting as anything he has made, but where it really succeeds is in its
ability to capture and really speak to both the plague of social technology
that is actually making mankind antisocial and the emotional consequences that
have arisen as a result (chiefly an unshakable collective loneliness). I also
really like Jonze’s creative imagining of Theodore’s interaction with others
(both human and software) online. The sex chat room scene is hilarious and the
Alien Child in the game is equally hysterical. Despite the film having a deep
sadness to it, I enjoy that Jonze still infuses it with humor and a sense of
hope for the future.
Across the board the film is
among this year’s best aesthetically speaking. Arcade Fire’s
(working with Owen
Pallett and Karen O as well) score is fantastic. It perfectly
captures the emotional tone of the film, while also fitting the stylistic look
as well. Hoyte
Van Hoytema’s cinematography is exceptional. The colors are radiant, yet
the sky seems to have solemn tone (probably because both LA and Shanghai have a
ton of pollution that sort of just hangs in the air) creating a striking juxtaposition.
K.K. Barrett’s
production design is really the standout technical achievement, however. His
work too is mostly features a very subdued color pallet, which allows Theodore
to really pop (with his red shirts). The overall set design is phenomenal as
well (I wish Theodore’s flat was my own). The whole look feels very artistic
and specific to the narrative and tone.
The cast too is wonderful. Portia Doubleday,
Kristen Wiig
(in a voice-role), and especially Olivia Wilde
are great in small supporting roles. Chris Pratt
is also fantastic and hilarious in a small supporting role. He just brings so
much energy and charisma even with a tiny amount of screen time. The same can
be said for Rooney
Mara. She is mesmerizing as Catherine, even though she is mostly featured
in flashbacks and has little screen time. She is able to convey so much in so
little time, and her work is paramount to fully understanding Theodore. She is
brilliant. Amy
Adams just seems to be a chameleon this year. From her work in Man
of Steel and American
Hustle to her work in this, she plays completely different, yet all
engaging, characters. Here, she plays Theodore’s friend Amy, a game designer
who (of course) is a little quirky but feels alive and vital (she is not just
the typical pixie dream girl). She is Theodore’s connection to humanity. Scarlett
Johansson voices Samantha, giving her so much life and substance that the
audience completely forgets that she is nothing more than hyper intelligent software
– she is alive as far as the audience (and Theodore) is concerned. It is quite
a feat considering that she gave her whole performance in a vocal booth without
the interaction of the other actors. Joaquin Phoenix
too is excellent as Theodore. He is able to emote so much, the audience can
feel everything he feels. He is also able to make Theodore a complex character.
He is primarily sad and lonely, but there is much more going on as he struggles
with past scares/joys and future hopes/fears. It is among 2013’s best leading
performances.
Summary
& score: Her is a romance unlike any other conceptually, but through
the skill of Spike Jonze and his cast it is able to perfectly capture the
modern human condition in our culture of social isolation. 9/10
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