iPod, iPhone, iMac, iAlone - "Her"

The alienation of the modern man is something we see everyday.  People talking in cars with no passengers, or eyes focused on a tiny screen yet oblivious to the flesh and blood around them.  I once asked someone if it was going to rain and the response was:  "Check your phone - there's an app for that."  In "Her," the new movie written and directed by Spike Jonze, technology evolves to the next level:  computers have highly intelligent operating systems with personalities that take the place of human love and relationships.

"Her" stars Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly:  a lonely writer wandering through his newly divorced life.  He walks around the near-future Los Angeles, lost in his thoughts and memories, immersed in video games and anonymous chat rooms.  When his new computer speaks with Scarlett Johansson's voice, he's smitten.  It's more than the voice, however.  "Samantha" is a caring, thoughtful being who listens and understands Theo.  She/It becomes his constant companion, going on dates, vacations, and sharing every intimate moment together.  To Theo, Samantha is perfect.

"Her" explores the meaning of love and relationships as deeply as any movie this year.  It's the most modern love story I've seen in a while, not because of the technology, but because of the confusion and frustrations that all couples encounter.  As Theo falls for Samantha, he's also forced to confront his ex-wife (Rooney Mara), ventures on an awkward, unsuccessful blind date (Olivia Wilde), and comforts a friend (Amy Adams) as her own relationship collapses.  We see all sides of the dating/marriage spectrum - and so does Samantha.  She processes everything and decides for herself what to make of this foolish thing we call love.

Once again, Joaquin Phoenix proves himself to be one of the top actors working today.  If you have any doubts about his past, check out this recent profile in the LA WEEKLY.  He single-handedly carries the movie, often speaking alone on-screen, or simply reacting.  It's an awesome performance and one of the year's best.  Scarlett Johansson also gives a brilliant performance as Samantha, growing from simple commands to all the stages of love, and beyond.  Her work is touching and very tangible, despite her physical absence.   

"Her" is also a triumph of production and costume design.  Set in an undisclosed year, the sets were designed by K. K. Barrett who creates a familiar, yet alien world.  The movie combines elements of Downtown Los Angeles with Shanghai to create an overcrowded megalopolis where characters live vertically adrift in glass and steel.  I kept marveling at the juxtaposition of wood and paper with the familiar in this new world.

One problem with the movie is that I imagined all the dangers that could possibly go wrong when falling in love with your operating system - yet none ever happen onscreen.  "Her" needs a few extra jolts, especially when the Samantha gimmick wears thin.  Although I suppose it's not that type of movie as the conflicts here are more subtle.  Theo carries on, shifting slightly in his worldview, making the movie more cerebral.  This is not a traditional big-screen romance between two beautiful movie stars - this is solitaire.  As a result, it drags at times when the plot should be progressing.  The nature of who we love, why and how are provocative musings that make this movie more art-house than multiplex.

Costume Display from Arclight Theater in Hollywood

Spike Jonze has said that this movie is not autobiographical; that it's about all relationships.  I'm sure that was his intention, but yet as the sole writer I'm certain he must have drawn upon his own experience.  "Her" makes for a great companion piece to "Lost in Translation," which is also a semi-autobiographical film about relationships.  That was written and directed by Sofia Coppola, whose marriage to Spike Jonze was ending during its production.  Taken together, these movies are two sides of the same story - the whole catastrophe.