Her

4 out of 4 Stars


In 1968, Stanley Kubrick took cinema to a new level with his philosophical and mind-blowing exploration between man’s relationship with technology in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Now, Spike Jonze has raised the bar with the romantic connection between man and machine with his new film, Her. Set in a futuristic, almost Gilliam-esque Los Angeles, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is a newly divorced writer for a letter writing company spending his days of solitude playing interactive video games that would make the Wii feel obsolete and having phone sex with women who have feline fetishes. His lonely days end when he begins to have a romantic relationship with an operating system named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).    
                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Aside from Samantha, Theodore finds comfort through his neighbor Amy (Amy Adams), a video game programmer and amateur documentary filmmaker stuck in an anally retentive marriage. As months pass, Theodore and Samantha’s relationship progresses until reality hits Theodore through a heated conversation with his ex-wife (Rooney Mara) when she confronts him with the fact that he is in love with a computer and not a human being. As the film moves into its third act, Theodore questions the validity of his relationship with Samantha and questions what love is; a union between two people or one person and something artificial.                                                                                                                                               


Joaquin Phoenix is amazing as Theodore; his range from being melancholic to warm-hearted and philosophical about romance is a pleasure to see. Although not on screen, Scarlett Johansson’s voice as Samantha is fresh and organic as she tries to give life to an inanimate object. Amy Adams chemistry with Joaquin Phoenix is heartfelt, funny, and poignant adding to the beauty of the film. Plus, Spike Jonze’s cameo as a profanity-fueled video game character is hilarious.                                                                                                 


Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography brilliantly captures the beauty of the Californian landscape and the confined setting of Los Angeles. Owen Pallet’s score, along with the music of Arcade Fire, adds another layer to Jonze’s protagonists and their individual quests for love. His first film in over four years, Spike Jonze adds another notch to his belt of stellar and surreal masterpieces with Her. Darkly funny, visually mesmerizing, and deeply touching, Jonze’s romantic satire holds up a mirror to one’s obsession with technology and its effects on human emotions.