When I first read about the premise of Spike Jonze’s film “her,“ I’ll admit I was a little weirded out. A man falls in love with an operating system. The thought is more than a little unnerving.
I went into this movie thinking there’d be some overwrought series of metaphors placing judgment on how consumed by technology we, as a society, have become. What I found was closer to a futuristic romantic comedy—no judgment, some metaphor, but generally sweet.
It’s a simple story about a man who finds love. We can all agree he finds it in a less than conventional place, but he finds it nonetheless.
Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) are just like any other couple aside from the fact that Samantha has no physical presence, but I, like Theodore, found myself forgetting that fact. Her personality so defines her as a character.
It’s this character that gives this film its center. Yes, Theodore grows as a character and his transformation is astounding, but it’s Samantha that inspires it and the change in her is mind-blowing.
Seriously, the thought that consciousness can exist beyond the human form will blow your mind, and Samantha is as much an exploration of that concept as she is Theodore’s romantic interest. We experience the pain and power that can come from such an existence and it is fantastic.
“Her” is more than a boy meets operating system love story, it’s a love letter to the human mind, all that it is, and all that it may one day be.
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…bi-daily smile…
If you missed it, check out Zer’s review of “her” from January: …Be
