Her- written and directed by Spike Jonze
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara
126 mins.
Director Spike Jonze has topped himself with Her, an imaginative and visually striking comedy-drama.
Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is a writer who composes cards and letters for other people. He lives in a city in the near future, inhabited by people lost in technology. Personalized smartphones and earpieces have replaced human interaction, leaving everyone in their own bubble. Theodore is recovering from a separation with his wife, escaping into anonymous conversations with strangers.
He decides to buy a new operating system for his phone, powered by artificial intelligence. The OS decides on a name, Samantha, and grows from there. Samantha and Theodore soon begin to fall in love, but problems arise when Samantha begins evolving and learning from operating systems around the world. He knows she is changing beyond his reach, like relationships between people, only on an exaggerated scale.
Jonze is no stranger to writing and producing films. He got his start in music videos, directing the famous videos for Weezer’s Buddy Holly in 1994 and Daft Punk’s Da Funk in 1997. Jonze moved on to short films next, followed quickly by his feature film debut, Being John Malkovich (1999), followed by Adaptation (2002), and Where the Wild Things Are (2009).
Phoenix and Johansson have great chemistry on screen as a couple separated by physical space and technology. Most of the scenes between the two actors are just Phoenix acting by himself, but he carries the role with ease. Johansson as a breathy, intuitive, artificially intelligent OS in love with Theodore fits perfectly into her role. Supporting actors in Her were chosen well, too, with Amy Adams as a close friend of Theodore’s and Rooney Mara as Theodore’s distant and more successful ex-wife.
The film itself seems timeless, not confined to a specific era. Instead of putting actors in chrome and crazy-shaped clothes, the costumes consist of classic staples like high-waisted pants and bespoke shirts. Denim, belts, and ties do not appear on anyone. Technology is altered slightly, too, as no keyboards or cords are in the movie. Perhaps most striking, the color blue is absent from every scene, giving the film a rich and unified feel.
The aesthetic of Her is complemented beautifully by a soundtrack written by Arcade Fire and Karen O, two frequent Jonze collaborators. Feelings of happiness, loss, angst, and love are captured gracefully in the soundtrack.
Her, with its unusual take on love, gorgeous style, and impeccable design, is a nearly perfect film. It doesn’t feel like a sci-fi, comedy, drama, or romance, occupying its own space instead. In its 126 minutes, Her takes viewers on a journey through a familiar story with no precedent. Every scene seems carefully orchestrated and lovingly crafted.
In short, see this movie before it disappears from theaters for good.
