The best film of 2013 (*****)

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2015)

It comes as no surprise that the director of "Adaptation" and "Where The Wild Things Are" would create something wholly unique. Remember, this is also the guy who made a movie about people entering John Malkovich's mind through a trap door. "Her" does indeed stand apart from the crowd- but proudly, in its' own perfect little corner of the gym, observing other films and their bombastic, silly, cynical existences and kindly waiting for someone to ask it to dance. I'm extremely pleased that I finally got to tango with this one- a funny, smart, topical, and supremely brave film that deserves to be called one of the best of 2013. It poses so many interesting questions, and then leaves so many to interpretation, satisfying on both accounts.
Like other indie-themed films with relatively small budgets, "Her" has not been broadly marketed, and was only recently put in wide release. You may not even know what it's about. To put it simply, "Her" is set in the near future, and artificial intelligence has advanced to the point where consumers can purchase an operating system that interacts with them just like a human. Of course, this OS can be on the desktop, or it can come with you as a hand-held device. The point is that the public can purchase this OS and adapt it to their lives. It can collate emails, give you instant writing tips, or even talk you through a break up!
We see the entire range of emotions that a relationship with someone (or something) can bring about, and it's not just sexual in nature. It's the innocent beginnings of a relationship, the warm feelings that kind words can bring, the exhilarating joy of giving and receiving emotional love, the euphoria of sex. It's also the frustration that comes from arguing, the vulnerability of dropping your guard to someone, and the complete agony of losing a relationship. Theo goes through the ringer in this film, but so does Samantha (the name the OS gives itself), who becomes more aware of the emotions 'she' is having, since 'she' is also on an emotional journey. This is definitely a dual-sided love affair.
"Her" shows the reality of companionship, not just saccharine, Hollywood relationship fluff, and oddly enough, it's Theo and Samantha that show the relationship with the most respect in the film. There exists a humanity between the two that is clearly lacking in the film's human relationships. The A.I. won't harbor grudges, judge, or define what love means to the person feeling it. However, one human female (Wilde) knows just how to hurt Theo, calling him creepy. Another (Mara) makes light of Theo's newfound happiness by accusing him of being lazy- "having a wife without the challenges of having a wife". Humans really know how to hurt each other, and while the A.I. has the capability for cruelty, it doesn't have the 'pretense' or capability for judgment.
It's exciting to think about films like this, and how they challenge us to consider new ideas. For example, I found myself envisioning multiple scenarios for the governance of such theoretical OS units. How could they be kept 'in line'? For that matter, would they be allowed to quarrel with an owner? Would they have any freedoms? Would they just be bound by programming? How does an operating system interpret pleasure, and thus how would a partner provide it, both physically and emotionally?
What a fascinating subject by itself- but "Her" isn't just an A.I. story. Like the relationship between Theo and Samantha, the film transcends traditional thought patterns on such subjects. We can't say the film's subject is 'creepy', or 'weird' or not 'real'- not unless we first examine our own thoughts about what love, companionship, and our emotional needs really is, right?
With such interesting subject matter that's handled with the utmost respect, grace, and honesty, "Her" is one of the more rewarding film experiences I've had in recent memory. I admit to loving what Spike Jonze does, or tries to do, but this film in particular is his crowning achievement thus far, and stands on its' on merits. Sometimes it takes an inhuman event to truly understand a human behavior or emotion. Many people point to acts of evil when they want to show how wonderfully capable the human race is. "Her", as a work of fiction, is a clear example of using a different point of view to help us better define what the human experience is, and can be. For that (and for just being all-around enjoyable), it's one of the best of 2013.