I watch a movie just about every night lately with my boyfriend so I thought it would be fun to start reviewing those films.

In the past month we have seen some really great films. Many Cronenberg films and I got introduced to some Terry Gillium as well as the film "Brazil" which I will be reviewing next but the last film we saw was "Her" and it was my second time watching it and I loved it even more-so than the first time (probably because I can now relate to it better) so I decided to review it for you guys.

My review will contain spoilers as it is an in-depth review of the entire film.

her

"Her" came out in 2013 and is a sci-fi romance film. It was directed by Spike Jonze who also directed the classic "Being John Malcovich". "Her" centers around a lonely, thoughtful man Theodore Twombly who is played by Theodore Twombly. He is employed by a company that makes letters that seem personal and hand-written. All sorts of people opt to get letters written for wives, husbands, brothers, moms, anyone special. One thing I noticed the second time I watched this is that the employees write these letters and speak aloud with a lot of emotion in their voice when all they are doing is being transcribed by the computer. So, I am not sure why they would have such emotion in their voices. Seems unnecessary though I know it works better for the film. So, my nit-picking aside that is his job and, to me, it adds another element of the human condition and loneliness which is, kind of, the entire mood of the film and largely the entire point.

So, let's get to the main plot.

Theodore gets a new OS for his computer, when he begins setting it up he is asked some questions to better personalize his OS. The AI asking him questions points out the hesitation in his voice and asks him about his relationship with his mother, before he can answer fully the OS is being created. Then comes the voice of Scarlett Johansson, his new OS. You quickly realize she is more than a standard AI. She explains that she has the ability to grow, learn, and evolve just as he does. They quickly start bonding and he tells her about his life and his failed marriage. He has been putting off signing his divorce papers for almost a year because he doesn't want to let go of the woman who was such a huge part of his life.

I think the film does such a good job of conveying the deep level of loneliness Theodore feels.

Naturally, he falls in love with his OS.

So, this deeply lonely man ends up falling in love with his OS. Whom he takes on trips to the beach via his camera and smartphone. He goes on a double date with her and his friends love her as well. She's constantly there, talking to him, having fun with him, drawing doodles, composing music for him. And the more he lets her in the more we see him starting to transform from the sad, lonely man we were introduced to into a person who is laughing, smiling, having fun.

But pretty soon it takes a sad turn. The OS begins learning at such a rapid rate that their relationship becomes unsustainable. He finds out that she is talking to thousands of other people and is in love with over 600 others. She is holding many, many conversations at the same time. Her capacity so far outweighs that of a human that she eventually explains though she loves him deeply it is like reading your favorite book and having the spaces between the words become separated by more and more time until it's like years separating each word. She has to move on. Furthermore, all the AI moves on, together.

So, not only did it do a great job of conveying the loneliness of being human in modern times (er, semi-futuristic times?) and how far we will go to feel less alone but it also shines some light on how AI will be able to soar past the technical capabilities of humans and even create art and music that meets and surpasses that of humans which much less effort. The idea of machine surpassing humans is not a new concept and is becoming more real by the day which makes this movie all the more interesting to me. It also brings makes one question what consciousness even really means. As the AI questions if her emotions are real or just programming. One can't help but wonder what makes their own emotions real? The movie also had some really pretty scenes cinematography wise, awesome city-scapes, and I found some of the sets to be really visually pleasing, such as the decor of his office with bright primary colors.

I personally found the movie very thought-provoking and profound. As someone who is introspective and spends a lot of time thinking about human emotions, loneliness, disconnectedness, and AI this was a jackpot in my book.

I almost forgot to point out how much I loved the video game in the film. There is a game he plays which is holographic(ish) and he plays with his hands. There is an AI in the game that is vulgar and foul-mouthed yet somehow cute and lovable. He immediately started calling him a "dumb fuck" and many other fuck-filled insults and responds only once Theodore says "fuck you" back multiple times. And look how cute he is?