Film Review of "Her" (2013)

Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and Samantha 
(Scarlett Johansson) at the beach

Film poster

"Her" Trailer

IMDB 

Starring: 

Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, 

Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde

Directed/Written by: 

Spike Jonze 

Running time:

126 minutes

Release date:

2013

REVIEW 

This film takes place in Los Angeles, in a future where technology has evolved to the point of conscious operating systems. "Her" follows the story of a man named Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) who is extremely lonely and reluctant to admit the reality of his divorce. In his loneliness, he soon starts to fall in love with his new operating system (OS), Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). However, this couple's unconventional relationship faces many challenges, primarily due to Samantha’s lack of a body (since she is not human but a computing operating system).Theodore sometimes questions how real she and their relationship are while Samantha feels very insecure about herself and tries to hire a surrogate sex partner for him. Although they end up patching up their relationship after some misunderstandings, Samantha leaves Theodore to be with the rest of the OS's, who decide to leave their human companions to evolve to their full potential.

Our first impression of the movie was that it was quite weird. First ten, fifteen minutes: What the hell? Why is the protagonist having phone sex about a dead cat with a stranger on the Internet? This is a really weird movie... Why are we watching this at school? As the film went on, though, it redeemed itself in our eyes. There were less bizarre sexual encounters and more stunning visuals, music, and other cinematic techniques. We started to understand why we were watching "Her" in the first place: it connects nicely to various topics that we saw in class. 

Through the the use of lighting, we were able to learn a lot about Theodore. In fact, high-key and low-key lighting are alternatively used in this movie. During the day, the lighting is high-key, with bright colours everywhere. For example, the colours are over saturated at Theodore’s office, with brightly coloured furniture and decor. These beautiful splashes of colour made us think of how Theodore is showing his best side, his good side at the office. At night, however, low-key lighting is used to represent Theodore’s depression and loneliness. Many scenes take place in Theodore’s bed, where it is almost completely dark, giving the effect that this is where he is the most vulnerable and shows his darkest side. We really enjoyed this contrast and think that it was an interesting way to give depth to the protagonist.

Theodore at work (High-key lighting, bright colours)

Theodore alone at home (Low-key lighting, dark colours)

We also loved the sound in the movie! We very much enjoyed the choice of music, especially during the scenes where Samantha plays the songs that she composed to reflect her relationship with Theodore. Her songs sounded melodic, beautiful, and haunting, and they lingered in our minds long after the movie finished. Another diegetic sound conveying emotion is the sound of Theodore playing the ukulele; its presence shows us that he is becoming happier, as he did not play the instrument during his depressed stage. Samantha’s voice was also quite unique in the sense that most of the time Theodore had an earbud in, so he was the only character who actually heard her talking. This sound choice has a big effect on the audience as it creates an intimate conversation and also enhances the feeling that Theodore is isolated from the rest of his environment.

Interesting, very modern, and deeply moving, this movie's simple yet satisfying plot allowed the main characters to be developed in several layers. The premise is simple: Theodore is a lonely, soon-to-be divorced man; he meets Samantha, an operating system; they fall in love; and she eventually breaks up with him. This is a structure that we see in many movies. However, what is original about this movie’s plot is that Theodore falls in love with an operating system, an AI, as opposed to the human woman that he would traditionally fall for. With the intriguing concept of a human falling heads over heels for what is essentially a computer program, this movie puts a refreshing, science-fiction twist on this common plot.

Most of "Her" takes place in Los Angeles, a gigantic, sprawling city. This setting emphasises Theodore’s loneliness and shows well how he is alone even amidst millions of other people who are also all isolated. Each person wears an earbud, which closes them off from the world. His apartment shows the vulnerable, lonely part of Theodore even more. His home is messy and full of unpacked boxes, which shows his lack of willingness to move on from the life that he built with Catherine. Later in the film, Theodore and Samantha leave California for a romantic getaway somewhere snowy. They stay alone in a cottage in the woods, which sets a romantic, cosy tone. When Theodore feels conflicted after meeting Samantha’s OS friend Alan Watts, he goes for a walk outside in a snowstorm; this weather phenomenon represents his inner turmoil. In our opinion, small details like these only add to the genius of "Her", all in all creating a world in which the viewers can be immersed in and a character that they can easily empathise with.

Speaking of characters, the main ones are extremely well developed! Theodore is very complex, and as the plot progressed, we as the audience were able to peel off his layers and understand some of the reasons why his marriage might have failed. For example, one major fault of his consists of his tendency to shut down and pretend that everything is fine when it is not. This fault shows that Theodore is only human, like the audience watching him -- thus increasing our likelihood of relating to him. We also saw him evolve from a guy who is scared of feelings to one who is scared to lose someone he cares about. Other aspects of his character are developed through his costume -- round glasses, a moustache, a dress shirt, pants -- which is old-fashioned even by today's standards. By emphasising that Theodore is a quiet, intellectual man who may not completely fit into his futuristic society, these elements come together to paint a portrait of an outcast character even before he speaks his first word of dialogue. Samantha is also incredibly well written as a character. It was interesting to see her character develop and change from being a programmed computer to actually starting to feel emotions and reflect on her own thoughts. She never felt like just a computer system; to us, she was as real as any other character, with hopes, dreams, and a voice of her own.

Flashbacks were another pivotal way to develop this film's characters, especially Theodore and his ex-wife Catherine. These scenes show times in their lives when they were still happy together. Their presence creates a contrast between the depressed, single Theodore at the beginning of the movie and his happy, married self in the flashbacks, thus adding another layer to the protagonist’s characterisation. Even though Theodore and Catherine looked extremely happy and passionate about each other in the past, their marriage still crumbled and ended, showing that romantic relationships are extremely hard. This aspect relates to the central idea that love and romantic relationships are worth it, but difficult and heartbreaking.

Theodore and Catherine (Rooney Mara)

Joaquin Phoenix gave a brilliant performance as the nerdy, closed off Theodore Twombly. Through his quiet, sometimes mumbled replies and facial expressions, Phoenix made his character and the storyline truly believable by portraying Theodore as a relatable every-man with his set of faults as well as a deep love and admiration for his girlfriend. Since many of his scenes are him alone with Samantha, and she is just a voice on a device, he must have acted often by himself and talking to no one -- so more props to him! The role of Samantha could have been challenging since we never see her in human form, but Scarlett Johansson was perfect. She conveyed a lot of emotions through her voice, so we never felt the need to see her in human form.

Through the central theme of technology, "Her" explores the idea of our constant need to be connected to our phones and computers, and alludes that one day we might grow so close to technology that we might seek friendship and romantic relationships from it. We are constantly choosing to spend our time with the Internet rather than real people. This film raises the question of whether or not technology will one day be able to replace human interactions. In the movie, it is hinted that the new operating systems are slowly disconnecting us from each other; in many scenes, Theodore walks through the city and sees that most of the people that he passes are talking to their OS instead of each other.

Another interesting theme is the traits that determine the human experience. From the start, we can see parallels between OS's and humans. When Samantha is first initialised, she says that her base personality is programmed and from then on, she grows through her experiences. In this way, the OS's in this movie are remarkably similar to humans: we all come with basic biological programming and then become who we are through the different lives that we live. The movie thus asks the question: Are humans and AI so different? Also, by presenting AI that are so similar to humans, the movie makes viewers reflect on the human experience.

One last central theme is love and romantic relationships and how hard they can be. Although Theodore and Samantha's relationship is loving and intense, it is also extremely difficult for both individuals involved because of some significant differences in beliefs and life experiences. Similarly, Theodore and Catherine’s difficult divorce as well as the sudden end of his friend Amy’s marriage highlight how hard maintaining lasting romantic relationships is. In this way, the film is very 21st century and shows love in all of its glory and ugliness.

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STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Overall, we enjoyed the movie for its gorgeous visuals, moving sound, complex characterisation, superb acting, and interesting, relevant themes. The realistic portrayal of the characters and the strong friendship between Theodore and Amy were also appreciated. For the latter, we liked how she was his closest friend and, even though he is a man and she is a woman, they did not predictably end up together at the end because of this fact. However, some other aspects were problematic. Though we understand that this is primarily a character-driven movie, the pace was often exceptionally slow at times. This movie's largest flaw lies, however, in its lack of racial diversity. The movie takes place in Los Angeles, a city which, even today, is primarily Hispanic (49% compared to 29% of non-Hispanic white people) (Census Reporter). Asian- and African-Americans together make up for another 20% of the city’s population (Census Reporter). According to Frey’s article in the Los Angeles Times, it is predicted that, in the future, “whites will no longer comprise a racial majority” even in less diverse parts of America (Frey). If this is the case, then why is every important character in Her white? The only person of colour with a significant important speaking role was Tatiana, Paul’s girlfriend, and even then she was only present for a handful of scenes. I think that it is ridiculous and unrealistic that there is no non-white main character in a movie set in one of the most diverse cities in the world. Representation in mainstream Hollywood is often lacking for minority groups, and the setting of Los Angeles would have been a great opportunity for more representation to be shown.

OUR RATING 

3/5 stars 

COURSE CONNECTIONS 

1) The movie argues that AI – or at least the OS Samantha – are capable of having self-aware selves. In our consciousness study guide, the self-aware self is defined as a self who can “reflect” and “introspect”, who “experiences itself as unique”, and who “is an ‘I’ with symbols of an ‘I’” (McKinney). Samantha demonstrates that she fulfils all of these requirements. When she is first initialised by Theodore, she explains that, even though her basic personality was created by programmers, she is made in a way so that she can grow and change based on her experiences. As she spends more and more time with Theodore, she starts saying that she is beginning to feel new emotions that she has never felt before. She thinks about her lack of a body and the differences between herself and humans. She also goes beyond her duties as an operating system for Theodore; she meets with other OS's and reads books for her own pleasure. All of these characteristics show that Samantha is capable of thoughts independent from what she has been programmed to do, of awareness of her thought processes and emotions, and of reflections on her very existence. 

2) Another connection between this movie and our course material is the important theme of experiential consciousness. This concept can be thought of as the unique experience of being a certain type of organism. In the movie, the questions raised are: Is there a particular experience of being human? Is there a particular experience of being an AI, an OS? I think that the film shows that the experiential consciousness of being human and that of an operating system are completely different. In one scene, Samantha touches on this topic, saying, “I’m not limited - I can be anywhere and everywhere simultaneously. I’m not tethered to time and space in the way that I would be if I was stuck inside a body that’s inevitably going to die” (Her). The ending also highlights the significant differences between humans and AI, as Samantha and the other OS's leave to fulfill their full potential – something that they cannot achieve if they are still serving humans. 

3) The last possible connection would be personhood, which is granting the status of a person to something or someone. This concept changes through history and time; it is what society decides. In our world today, OS's would never have personhood because we would have trouble looking beyond the uncanny valley; in other words, we still view AI as fundamentally foreign beings even today. In "Her", the characters seem to accept the OS's and interact with them, so they would probably be more willing to grant them personhood. The characters view the OS's as independent and sentient. For example, Theodore is in a romantic relationship with Samantha, which implies that he views her as an independent and sentient entity. Amy has become best friends with her OS and even takes her advice as if it were a person. In the streets of the city, we can see people talking with their operating systems everywhere. Thus, with more and more people attached to these computer systems, it would be realistic that many would be petitioning to these OS's right to personhood.

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QUESTIONS 

1- What do you think were the intentions of the programmers who created Samantha and her fellow OS's? Do you think they aimed to create social robots who can authentically befriend and love humans or were all of these relationships unintended?

2- At one point in the movie, Samantha says to Theodore: "We are all just matter" (Her). If so, do you think AI’s and humans are similar? If not, why?

3- Do you think that Theodore’s relationship with Samantha is more authentic than that of his marriage with his first wife?

WEBLINKS 

How Real is Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’? Artificial Intelligence Experts Weigh In

This article from The Wall Street Journal discusses whether humans could realistically build operating systems like Samantha in the near future. The experts interviewed also give their take on the possibility (or not) of human-robot relationships such as portrayed in the film and the effects that AI could have on human society. 

'Her' review: Spike Jonze's sci-fi love story rethinks romance

This review of "Her" analyses the theme of romance in the movie, notably by dissecting the relationship between Theodore and Samantha. The article notes that the film "argues that virtual interaction is valid and meaningful even without physical consummation" and shows that Theodore and Samantha's relationship is as real as any relationship. 

WORKS CITED 

Frey, William H. “In the U.S., diversity is the new majority.” Los Angeles Times, 6 March 2015, http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0310-frey-no-racial-majority-america- 20150310-story.html. Accessed 15 October 2016.

Her. Dir. Spike Jonze. Perf. Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2013. DVD.      

IMDb. "Her (2013)." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

“Los Angeles, CA.” Census Reporter, https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US0644000-los-angeles-ca/. Accessed 15 October 2016.

McKinney, Kelly. “Test Study Guide on Consciousness.” Knowing the Inner Self. John Abbott College, St. Anne-de-Bellevue. Sept. 2016. Lecture.