MUST SEE
Her 2014
Sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel. And from here on out, I'm not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I've already felt. Her..?
No that's the name. Not the Arrested Development reference to egg.. i mean plant.. I mean Anne.. Grrrr.. Directed by Spike Jonze who brought us an eccentric writer in Adaptation, John Malcovich in Being John Malcovich (which i'm sure is harder than it looks) & childhood classic that resides in the deep inner corner in your psyche on the left - Where the Wild Things Are. The score is delivered by Canadian Indie rock band Arcade Fire. Beautiful melodic & hypnotic tunes encapsulate the themes of isolation & loneliness. Her, is a beautifully constructed film about a writer who forms a relationship with a cutting edge AI operating system (OS). In this unspecified near future this is an acceptable societal norm as internet dating or Tinder i suppose.. |
Let's call this OS Siri. Or to be more accurate let's call this OS Samantha voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Her voice carries a playful flirtation of charm and intelligence that one might expect from a next Gen Siri.
Samantha starts out "being born", rapidly growing & learning intellectually, emotionally though experience, environment & connectivity. This is achieved almost moment to moment developing at an exponential rate. The relationship blossoms quickly between Samantha & Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix. I never really liked Phoenix as an actor when I first took notice in 2000 for antagonist in Gluteus Maximus Gladiator. He always had that look like he hadn't slept for days and was always frowning. Then there was the bomb by M Night but the accurate portrayal of Johnny Cash put him back on the map in my eyes. As Theodore, the audience views him as a harmless lonely guy.
A guy who longs for what we all long for.. the latest update on your smart phone. Hahaha.. ...I'm kidding As the central character in Her, Theodore is on the tail end of a divorce with his wife Catherine. He invests in a new way of social & dating engagement by way of OS. As abstract as this sounds people have been know to have much more bizarre relationships with other things. |
"Sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel. And from here on out, I'm not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I've already felt."
This is a strong sentiment from Theodore expressing the level of investment & depth that the relationship has taken. I do want to acknowledge Amy Adams who plays a close friend & confidant to Theodore. She has that plain yet striking familiarity and is a good cast adding balance between the fantasy OS world & reality. Her is an interesting portrayal of removing the physicality and emphasising on the mind being lead around by the heart.
It does shed light on the growing technological isolation that is already happening all around us. All you need to do is take the train or watch the intro to Shaun of the Dead to understand. Conventional ways of meeting people and interacting are becoming obsolete. Theres no stopping digital progress. It is character building to ask out someone to their face and even risk rejection, but trimming the uncomfortable fat seems to be the easier, safer option. But hey, each to their own. I give this heart palpitation - 9.2 spare iphone chargers out of 10 |
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