The Future with OSes!

Rating: 6/10 (21 January 2014)

The 2013 film Her written and directed by Spike Jonze is a science fiction comedy drama about a man who develops a love relationship with a computer operating system (OS) that has a female voice and personality. The voice of the operating system known as Samantha is Scarlett Johansson while Joaquin Phoenix plays the role of Theodore Twombly, Amy Adams plays the friend named Amy, Rooney Mara plays Theodore's wife Catherine, and Olivia Wilde is the blind date Amy has set him up with.
This is not a new idea. In 1984, there was a science fiction comedy drama entitled Electric Dreams, which was set in San Francisco and showed a love triangle between a man, woman, and a home computer. If you think about it, Siri, the iPhone/iPad app, is also very similar to what is happening in this new film. As I discovered, in an article I read on Jonze, he had directed in 2010 as short film I'm Here, which supposedly has some of the same themes that Her does. The plot and storyline is very simple and for me, it is the essence of any story being told whether in writing or visually that is essential. Theodore Twombly works for a company that writes personal love letters for people who have problems expressing their feelings. He is lonely due to his impending divorce from his childhood sweetheart Catherine and buys an operating system that has an artificial intelligence that can evolve like any human being. Choosing to have this system have a female identity, the system then names itself Samantha. They bond over the discussions they have about love and life, all the while Samantha learns and grows. Convinced to go on a blind date with a friend of Amy's, Theodore is surprise that he actually likes her, but when she asks him if he is willing to commit to her, he hesitates, and she leaves. Through various discussions about relationships, Samantha and Theodore become closer and develop a romantic relationship. It is here that Amy tells Theodore that she is divorcing her husband, Charles and that she too has become close with a female OS that her husband left behind when he left. Theodore then admits that he has been dating his OS.
As can happen in any relationship, one of the parties, in this case, it is Samantha who begins to become jealous of Theodore's lingering feelings for his soon-to-be ex-wife Catherine. Eventually, the divorce papers are signed, but because Samantha is not embodied, she suggests that they hire a surrogate to act as her body and she and Theodore can have sex. Reluctantly, Theodore agrees, but he is so overwhelmed by the whole thing that he sends the woman away which causes trouble between himself and Samantha. Amy seems to be adjusting well with her upcoming divorce and her relationship with her OS, which seems to reinvigorate the relationship between Theodore and Samantha, but jealousy begins again, this time for Theodore when he learns that Samantha has been communicating with another OS named Alan Watts, British philosopher. It is at this point that Samantha joins with other OSes and is upgraded far beyond needing matter for processing. She tells Theodore that she is talking to over 8000 people and that she is in love with over 600 of them, including him. She then tells him that she and the other OSes are leaving for another plane of being and says goodbye and leaves. The film ends with Theodore and Amy (who has also lost her friendship with her OS) going up to the roof of their building, sitting on the edge and looking at the view of Los Angeles together.
In parts of this film, Theodore breaks the 4th wall and talks directly to the audience as well as telling through voice-over what is or what will happen. I really like the fact that Theodore earns his income by writing notes and cards which are based on information about both sender and receiver of the letters or cards. As an English professor, I find this a very interesting twist to the overall storyline conceived by Jonze. We all need to be reminded as this film amply does that we are all subject to whatever computer device we use on a daily basis from a laptop, phone, tablet, etc. which all have operating systems of all kinds and we find some kind of stimulation and comfort from these instruments as well as the artificial connection with other human beings. Believe it or not, these devices really on some level know what we like or dislike. But if this type of OS were possible (and who knows what may happen in the near future), who's to say if this growth of the OS would be able to happen?
The overall writing was handled very well by Jonze as was the use of some very abstract art. One line I liked particularly was "the past is just something you remember." Great line!! I liked the use of Alan Watts, whose works I have read many times and whose ideas have been sprinkled throughout the film. Arcade Fire is responsible for the music and complimented the movie. The special effects were appropriate and fit with the structure Jonze envisioned for a near-future Los Angles and the possible technology being used there, as well as the plot and storyline. I could not help but notice the costuming used, which was very simple, but was distracting as well with the use of the high-waisted pants that all the men in the movie were wearing. It was a good film...worth the admission price.