Comfortably numb

Rating: 8/10 (16 November 2014)

The overwhelming feeling that I am left with after watching Spike Jonze's her is one of numbness. Numbness after watching Joaquin Phoenix deliver a understated, heartfelt performance as the socially stuttering Theodore Twombley. Numbness echoed in the deep notes of Arcade Fire's emotionally penetrating score and numbness and how Jonze has captured the potential future of social interaction.
The stripped down direction and script are both tonally perfect in their depiction of a not to far away society of people who are fully engaged - just not with each other. People who find the connections that they cherish most are those that exist only in the world of the OS. That so many in the film are unconcerned when Theodore announces he has begun a relationship with Sam (Scarlett Johansson) it is very easy to see a time when we all might be having a similar conversation with a loved one.
Her is a film with conflicting themes of both isolation and attempted connections, never more evident than in one scene when Olivia Wildes character hits it off with Theodore only to be quickly spurned with both leaving as they arrived. Alone. To portray these themes the casting needed to be exact, and it is. Pheonix is a master of nuance and the fact that he is left to carry the screen while reacting to only a voice (played by Samantha Morton during production), only reinforces his current status as one of the best actors around today.
Johansson's off screen performance as the voice of the OS self-named as Sam, rivals many of her on-screen ones. With her husky tone providing the perfect counter balance to Theodore's muted interactions with just about everybody and she somehow makes the audience feel for a character that they know from the start they will never get to meet. It is thanks to Johansson's vocal flirtations that not once do you feel that Sam's relationship with Thoedore is anything but genuine to both its participants.
Amy Adams plays a character called Amy, who finds herself following Theordore on his path from a once happy married person to somebody finding comfort (albeit platonic) in an OS relationship. Adams' form at the moment is such that it is a surprise to nobody that she is playing a pivotal role in two of the years best films having already received widespread critical acclaim for her role as Sydney in David O. Russells fantastic American Hustle.
Rooney Mara's turn as Theodore's ex-wife-to-be leaves the audience wishing that they had seen more of her early interactions with Theodore instead of the silent flashbacks that survived Jonzes' final cut. When she does have to face her husband we are left feeling that while she is an actress capable of holding her own with Phoenix's Theodore,unfortunately for her it is a scene where she falls well short of establishing any real screen presence. Mara does still adds some lovely moments of tenderness to the film. Wilde's appearance feels like a misstep as her Amelia character just feels slightly out of place in the context of the films muted tone.
This film is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I find it hard to be critical of a film that takes an original story and somehow makes it feel unoriginal. Spike Jonze is undoubtedly one of the most talented storytellers working today and although the film's ending is a slight cop out, it is a film that you will have been happy to see even if it leaves you feeling...I don't know.. just a little numb.
Barry Russell