By Gwen Schanker, News Correspondent
In one of this year’s most out-of-the-box Academy Award nominations, director Spike Jonze presents a futuristic world in which falling in love with your operating system is not only plausible, but also socially acceptable.
Set in Los Angeles in the near future, “Her” stars Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely man still reeling from an emotional split with his wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara). As a writer working at BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com, Theodore uses his talents to dictate other lovers’ correspondence, but he has yet to finalize his divorce or recover from his own breakup.
However, Theodore’s life takes a dramatic turn when he is one of the first to purchase an advanced and personalized operating system, which is programmed like a human brain. After answering a few short questions, Theodore is introduced to Samantha, who quickly becomes the center of his world despite her lack of a human body and mind.
It’s easy to see why. Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, is smart, funny, and gets along perfectly with Theodore. Of course, it’s only because she’s programmed that way, but that becomes harder to recall as the two develop a companionable, and then loving, relationship. Samantha really does seem like the perfect woman for Theodore, except that she’s not actually a woman – she’s an operating system whose brain works about 5,000 times faster than his.
Throughout the course of the film, Theodore finds there are benefits to having a love interest that you can’t bump heads with – literally or figuratively. Theodore and Samantha’s relationship is contrasted with other human relationships in the movie, namely that between Theodore’s old college friend Amy (Amy Adams) and her pedantic husband, Charles (Matt Letscher). However, as is demonstrated when Samantha enlists a surrogate sexual partner to imitate her and Theodore’s physical relationship, dating a nonhuman entity has its own difficulties.
Although Samantha is programmed to be perfectly in sync with Theodore, common dating warning signs gradually begin to appear. Theodore becomes jealous of Samantha’s advanced artificial intelligence, and she cannot relate to his human emotions. Furthermore, both characters rightfully wonder if the relationship is even real: Samantha is unable to distinguish between the emotions she is programmed to have and the feelings she develops, and Theodore worries that he is dating an operating system solely because he can’t handle a real relationship.
The other human characters in the movie help to address this question. Amy is intrigued and a little jealous: “You’re dating an OS? What’s that like?” while Theodore’s soon-to-be-ex-wife Catherine speaks from a more cynical standpoint: “You always wanted a wife without the challenges of actually dealing with anything real and I’m glad that you found someone.”
It’s clear from the beginning of the movie that Samantha and Theodore’s relationship isn’t destined to last forever. Still, the love and experiences Theodore and Samantha share are as compelling as any traditional romance, often even more so.
“Her” deals with technological advances from recent years and those still to come, and attacks the broad question of what it really means to be in love and to share your life with someone.
Theodore Twombly lives in a futuristic world, but certainly not a contrived one. The emotions he experiences are raw, and Joaquin Phoenix pulls off a powerful performance.
Amy Adams, too, is fantastic in her role. Her matter-of-fact view of the world makes the movie all the more multifaceted: “We’re only here briefly, and while I’m here I want to allow myself joy. So f*** it.” Amy simultaneously serves as the most down-to-earth character in the movie and the only one who is truly sympathetic to Theodore and Samantha’s relationship, and thus she remains Theodore’s most loyal friend throughout the film.
Samantha is less physically prominent in the movie than the other characters, but her role is just as important. Samantha’s breathy voice is captivating, and her tumult of feelings completely believable. The only downside is that it’s difficult to picture her looking like anyone other than Scarlett Johansson.
The filming in the movie is beautiful. The setting appears ultramodern without being too over-the-top, and many of the sweetest moments between Theodore and Samantha are juxtaposed by long shots of California beaches and snow-covered mountains.
The music adds to the film’s romantic-yet-melancholy tone, featuring hypnotic tunes from Arcade Fire as well as delicate piano arrangements, supposedly composed by Samantha herself in order to paint a picture of her and Theodore’s intertwining lives, which cannot be captured in a physical photograph. Together, the nostalgic soundtrack, the talented acting, and the cutting-edge visuals combine to make “Her” one of the most riveting films of 2013.
Overall, “Her” is a groundbreaking, poignant film that can sometimes be uncomfortable to watch, due to the general strangeness of Theodore and Samantha’s relationship as well as the depth of experiences they share. But the setting, the music and the compelling plot make the experience of watching well worth it.
