'HER' - A Visually Beautiful Ode to Love and Technology

 

Despite being a movie with only very subtle special effects, no fast-paced action, no exquisite landscapes, not even a real person to play the part of the female lead, ‘Her’ is a remarkable love story. Directed by the award-winning producer-screenwriter-actor Spike Jonze, and starring Joaquin Phoenix as the male protagonist, Theodore, this science-fiction movie is set in 2025. Theodore goes through a painful divorce and find comfort in technology, eventually falling in love with the voice of Scarlett Johansson, an operating system who calls herself Samantha.

The movie revolves around a writer, Theodore who lives in LA. His work keeps him busy; he barely has any social life and is going through a divorce. Samantha is the husky voice of the new operating system, who becomes a friend to Theodore. She does a lot more than scanning documents and reading mails. She convinces Theodore to go on a blind date with a long-time friend. The two hit it off but as soon as she asks for commitment he hesitates and she leaves. He goes back and mentions this to his new agony aunt, Samantha. They talk about everything and all throughout the film, we see their intimacy grow.

Joaquin Phoenix deserves a lot of credit to pull this part off. He wears geeky, horn-rim glasses, a moustache and high-waist pants. He has long scenes when he is just talking alone in a room, staring at his laptop. While watching the movie, one will get so used to Samantha's voice, that there will be times when, like Theodore, you too forget that Samantha is just the voice of an AI system.  The way Jonze shows loneliness through this lovely story is incredible.

Needless to say, Scarlett Johansson's voice works like magic. She made her presence felt so deeply with every dialogue she said. The music she creates, the funny sketches, the songs she writes and how she cheers up Theodore will surely make you fall in love with her.

‘Her’ is such a heartfelt masterpiece with brilliant cinematography and extraordinary soundtrack. Truly, a great film that manages to make an unconventional relationship enormously rewarding. The intricate relationship of a human and a highly evolved AI assistant at an emotional level seems surreal and weird at first but slowly you start empathizing and believing in it. The ending gets you teary yet it's pragmatic.

All in all, ‘Her’ is a deeply immersive story that should be watched and felt.