A Moving Look at a Not-So-Distant Future

Rating: 10/10 (19 January 2014)

Her is a contemporary film that tells the story of a man who falls in love with his computer operating system. Sounds bizarre, right? But is it good, let alone believable?
Joaquin Phoenix delivers a perfect performance as the main character, Theodore. Her is a very character-driven film and great chemistry between the actors and actresses is necessary as well as dialogue that isn't corny, and in Her, Phoenix does a lot of staring off into space because he's listening to Samantha, not physically interacting with her because she isn't a physical being. He conveys so much emotion with just his face. He's perfectly cast.
Scarlett Johansson gave one of her best performances as Samantha, the operating system. She was completely snubbed at most of the award shows for Best Supporting Actress and her performance showed so much emotional depth just through her voice.
Spike Jonze's screenplay is easily one of the best of the year. It's plot is so refreshing, original and engaging that it's hard not to get caught up in this story. The film's screenplay has its fair share of funny moments while also being insanely thought-provoking and most of the time, moving. Each character feels very complex and each character has multiple layers. It's fascinating to see characters this emotionally developed and real. And one of the best things about this screenplay is that it doesn't always take its bizarre concept incredibly seriously. Jonze knows his film's plot is bizarre and doesn't treat it like it isn't. Jonze is very self-aware and insightful.
The cinematography in Her is immaculate and was definitely subbed for Achievement in Cinematography in the Academy Awards for Hoyte Van Hoytema's beautiful work. The film also has an interesting color- palette, consisting mostly of pinks and reds and light blues which give the film a unique, vibrant look. The score for the film is equally brilliant and contributes to the vibrant, colorful feel that's present throughout.
Her is a beautiful, poignant film that explores adult relationships to the extreme while also exploring how huge technology is modern culture and how close humans and their computers are becoming. Her explores human emotions until there's little left to explore. It blends social commentary with very real characters so effortlessly and is still visually-striking. Her is a genius film and one of my favorite films of all time.
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