Ah, to find true love; movies overflow with this theme.
Writer/Director Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being
John Malkovich) has really excelled in a mainstream film with a unique
plotline. In Her, he paints the affecting tale of finding love in a most unusual
place, and the result is a remarkable love story with two knockout performances.
In the not too distant future, operating systems (OS) have the
ability to mimic human thought and interaction, perhaps even feelings. One
lonely individual, Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), decides to try the
service after the painful breakup of his marriage (as seen through a series
of flashbacks). His OS is named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett
Johansson), and ‘she’ learns quickly and develops into what sounds like a fully
intuitive, intelligent, and perhaps self aware program capable of sensitivity
and emotion. At first bringing structure and order to his life, Samantha proves
to be more than artificial intelligence, but rather a sentient one. Think of a female version of HAL9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey. After a series of sex chat lines and a
disastrous blind date, Theo, who desperately wants a female companion, realizes
that Samantha is too good to be true. He shares his world with her through his
smart phone, and she ‘accompanies’ him on his travels whether it be to a fair
or for a walk. The two of them
experience a relationship that transcends the lack of physical contact. How this unlikely pair will end up is the
mystery of love.
Ostensibly a love story, this is really a science fiction film
amid a deeply personal setting. This
well written screenplay (by Jonze) works as a touching drama and explores the
nature of human interaction and the meaning of love. It also touches on how deeply our society is
plugged into the cyber world of reality.
It would be interesting to see how Terry Gilliam (Brazil) would have developed this theme.
Phoenix (Walk the Line, The
Master) really embodies his loneliness convincingly. When his wife leaves him, he has to learn
about letting go of someone and being open to new opportunities. You feel for him and his longings. Ironically his job involves ghost writing
letters for other people, and some of the prose is romantic or emotional.
Johansson (The Avengers, Match Point) voices
Samantha as a fully, living being with just the right mix of nuance and
inflection. It is a bravura
performance. Her Samantha is a bright pupil who becomes hungry for knowledge
and experiencing human emotions; she has her needs and wants. When Theo and Samantha go out for a picnic
with a coworker and his girlfriend, it becomes an unusual quartet unlike any
double date ever. Even more, Samantha’s
desire to integrate with humans sets up a fascinating encounter via a
surrogate. She in a sense is a
reflection of the best and potentially the worst of human response and
behavior. Is she capable of being
jealous or disloyal? Could she even
evolve into something else? These are some
fascinating questions that come to mind.
In a sense she becomes a metaphor for human existence.
Amy Adams (American Hustle)
lends strong support as Theo’s friend who also becomes involved with her own OS
companion. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is
effective in her brief scenes as Theo’s wife, Catherine.
Stark cinematography and a moody musical score combined with good
use of modern architecture (partly filmed in Shanghai) lend to a detached
environment. The feeling of isolation
and solitude permeate the sterile settings.
It would have been nice to learn more about Theo’s world and if he
had any other family. What was his
background growing up and what are the implications of the program on society
in general? What we get is a spare
sketch of one man’s world.
The story is ultimately
about experiencing a special, human feeling and the search for one’s soul mate. It’s also about the joys and happiness in
life that are but fleeting moments in time.
***1/2 of **** stars
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