Thought provoking

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2014)

This film can fall short for many viewers. The close shots, the drawn out conversations with the disconnected Theodore; a relationship to an AI can feel empty and ultimately predicable. I totally get that the basic impression can be sexist even. But at the same time Samantha is probably exactly what we would build as a consumer product for a man. And honestly, nobody would see a film titled "Unisex".
The AI Samantha played by Scarlett Johansson is present and empowers Theodore. She redirects frustration and encourages Theodore to constructively reflect, leads him to become a more open person. At the same time she is capable of evolution and actualization, a tremendous intellect that is believably empathic.
This film is a lovingly premeditated, both in thought and presentation. Each scene feels like rose colored memory, the regret of the past and the savoring of the recent present. The orange sunlight peering through near future skyscrapers is gorgeous, the colorful office palettes and defocused background lighting like a permanent Instagram filter. Again, this is not to everyone's taste and I can totally understand that true beauty is not always visual, but gosh it is difficult to recall a recent film that is visually so interesting. Not everything has to be so gritty.
The perfect artifact for ourselves would be one that advocates spiritual and intellectual actualization and it is clear this is what the film thinks it ought to be. The score is evocative, and screenplay is achingly beautiful, Scarlett Johansson's voice is instantly charming. Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore is masterful and the close ups really work to his strengths. This films is one of my top favorites, and whilst it falls flat for many, I love it.