Photo credit: sciencefiction.com
By Kimberley John
Director: Spike Jonze
Main stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson and Amy Adams
Rating: 9.5/10
Spike Jonze’s most recent cinematic endeavour, Her, was released in late 2013 to widespread critical acclaim. It was recommended to me by a friend whose recommendations I do not often trust (he once told me to watch Unknown: a 2011 psychological thriller starring Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger, and an hour and 53 minutes that I’ll never get back), but this time he hit the jackpot. Her is a beautiful visual, audial and emotional masterpiece. Emphasis on “emotional.”
Spike Jonze transports audiences to a very possible future world which is completely dominated by technology. However, he does this while maintaining an air of familiarity that makes us feel like we’re almost there ourselves. Joaquin Phoenix fills the shoes of an introverted yet perceptive and sentimental writer, Theodore Twombly, who works for a company that writes bespoke letters to the loved ones of those who cannot do so themselves. He learns of a new technological development: an artificially intelligent computer operating system which speaks to the user and caters to their every need (think Siri but more human-sounding). He purchases his own and is presented with the sultry voice of Scarlett Johansson, which he ultimately falls in love with, despite her lack of a physical body. The film explores the depths of human emotion and relationships, and the fact that true love does not discriminate.
Of course, the concept may seem strange, and Her does have many strange moments that cause you to question the sanity of Theodore and those surrounding him. However, watching the film makes us realise that we are not too far away from Theodore’s reality. Our lives and the smooth-running of our world are dependent on current technologies which will inevitably evolve, and with the development of artificial intelligence and devices such as Google Glass, the technology of Theodore’s everyday cannot be considered unattainable. And that’s the scary thing.
Human interaction and human relationships are becoming increasingly difficult for us to maintain in the midst of the ever-changing technology that we are besieged by. We use our computers, phones and games consoles habitually, and while doing so, we shut ourselves off from the real world. Who’s to say that it won’t become possible to fall in love with an operating system that can produce human emotions and demonstrate realistic intuition? As in the experience of Theodore Twombly, being in a relationship with your computer becomes the norm. Personally, this is an incredibly troubling thought – a sad existence, and something that I do not want humankind to succumb to.
Her is a must-see. Running at just over 2 hours, some may deem it slow-moving, but Spike Jonze’s genius directing and the strong acting skills of the cast draw you into the slightly sci-fi love story with unrelenting intensity. Joaquin Phoenix, in particular, is one of those actors (like Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp and Ralph Fiennes) who are more than deserving of an Oscar but are yet to receive one. His extraordinary performance as Theodore Twombly may have gone unrecognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (runners of The Oscars), but it certainly should not be ignored by the masses.
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