Lonely Souls in HER

Rating: 9/10 (1 March 2014)

Ah, to find true love; movies overflow with this theme. Writer/Director Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) has really excelled in a mainstream film with a unique plot line. In Her, he paints the affecting tale of finding love in a most unusual place, and the result is a remarkable love story with two knockout performances.
In the not too distant future, operating systems (OS) have the ability to mimic human thought and interaction, perhaps even feelings. One lonely individual, Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), decides to try the service after the painful breakup of his marriage (as seen through a series of flashbacks). His OS is named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), and 'she' learns quickly and develops into what sounds like a fully intuitive, intelligent, and perhaps self aware program capable of sensitivity and emotion. At first bringing structure and order to his life, Samantha proves to be more than artificial intelligence, but rather a sentient one. Think of a female version of HAL9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey. After a series of sex chat lines and a disastrous blind date, Theo, who desperately wants a female companion, realizes that Samantha is too good to be true. He shares his world with her through his smart phone, and she 'accompanies' him on his travels whether it be to a fair or for a walk. The two of them experience a relationship that transcends the lack of physical contact. How this unlikely pair will end up is the mystery of love.
Ostensibly a love story, this is really a science fiction film amid a deeply personal setting. This well written screenplay (by Jonze) works as a touching drama and explores the nature of human interaction and the meaning of love. It also touches on how deeply our society is plugged into the cyber world of reality. It would be interesting to see how Terry Gilliam (Brazil) would have developed this theme.
Phoenix (Walk the Line, The Master) really embodies his loneliness convincingly. When his wife leaves him, he has to learn about letting go of someone and being open to new opportunities. You feel for him and his longings. Ironically his job involves ghost writing letters for other people, and some of the prose is romantic or emotional.
Johansson (The Avengers, Match Point) voices Samantha as a fully, living being with just the right mix of nuance and inflection. It is a bravura performance. Her Samantha is a bright pupil who becomes hungry for knowledge and experiencing human emotions; she has her needs and wants. When Theo and Samantha go out for a picnic with a coworker and his girlfriend, it becomes an unusual quartet unlike any double date ever. Even more, Samantha's desire to integrate with humans sets up a fascinating encounter via a surrogate. She in a sense is a reflection of the best and potentially the worst of human response and behavior. Is she capable of being jealous or disloyal? Could she even evolve into something else? These are some fascinating questions that come to mind. In a sense she becomes a metaphor for human existence.
Amy Adams (American Hustle) lends strong support as Theo's friend who also becomes involved with her own OS companion. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is effective in her brief scenes as Theo's wife, Catherine.
Stark cinematography and a moody musical score combined with good use of modern architecture (partly filmed in Shanghai) lend to a detached environment. The feeling of isolation and solitude permeate the sterile settings.
It would have been nice to learn more about Theo's world and if he had any other family. What was his background growing up and what are the implications of the program on society in general? What we get is a spare sketch of one man's world.
The story is ultimately about experiencing a special, human feeling and the search for one's soul mate. It's also about the joys and happiness in life that are but fleeting moments in time.