It is hard to even begin reviewing Spike
Jonze's Her. This may be an
exaggeration but it almost feels like I am looking back at an old relationship,
one that still matters and stings in little spaces in the heart. That's how Her leaves you: spellbound, breathless
and aching. A brief synopsis goes like this: in the not-so distant future while humanity has
barely evolved, the landscape of technology has and Operating Systems have the
capacity to interact with their users with the aid of Artificial Intelligence.
Joaquin Phoenix portrays Theodore Twombly, a remarkable yet melancholic
personality resides behind his unassuming name. His uncanny ability to
compartmentalize the feelings of strangers and translate them into words serves
him well as a writer responsible for crafting love letters for lovers who
cannot verbalize their emotions. In the process of going through a divorce,
(and possibly consumed by loneliness), Theodore installs an OS, Samantha;
Scarlett Johansson gives life to this faceless character. Theodore,
fascinated
by Samantha’s faculty to evolve and adapt to become increasingly more human,
finds himself drawn and attracted to her. Eventually – and perhaps- through the
lack of substantial companionship, the two lonely souls begin a relationship
and the rest of the film explores their dysfunctionality as a couple.
With such an unusual yet strangely relatable
storyline, you cannot expect to leave the cinema unscathed. You will be haunted
by Theodore's insufferable disposition, he draws you in- his one sided human
interaction is reminiscent of the points in our lives where we are consumed and
then spat out like an unwanted lover by loneliness. What he craves is simple
mere companionship, the kind that fuels writers like him to write. It is an
absolute mockery; especially so when Theodore is immersed in a career pivoted
on the very essence of love. How do you expect a man who thrives on love to be
adequate by himself and live everyday in the absence of it? Samantha is his
answer, it is almost too good to be true- all she requires is a simple
installation and there you have it- you can literally download love.
What moved me the most was how fiercely Theodore allowed himself to
‘fall in love’ with Samantha, how even when his ex-wife doubted the
authenticity of such a romance, he prevailed. Perhaps, love is easier when it is
not ‘real’, but what exactly constitutes ‘love’? What are the required
components? Would you then classify Theodore and Samantha’s relationship under
romance?
Her is not just about
love being digitized, but also about not withdrawing from pleasure, as quoted
from the movie ‘We are only here briefly, and in this moment I want to allow
myself joy.’ In this day and age where many lines/boundaries that divide human
emotions get blurry and uncertain, it gets hard to navigate through our lives
and even process the entirety of our feelings. Theodore reinforces ‘Sometimes I
feel like I’ve felt everything I’m ever gonna feel. And from here on out, I’m
not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I’ve already felt.’
What distinguishes humans from objects is not the possession of a pulse, but our
capability to feel. But what if these
feelings get old, what if you do not feel
as much as you did before? Does it strip us of our humanity? What if one day
you hardly feel anything anymore? Be
reduced to being detached, unchained and jaded.
And what if one day you meet someone who makes you feel tenfold of
what you have always felt? You feel like you’ve jolted back to life, invincible
and undefeated. When someone (or even something) is able to evoke such
overwhelming cadences and rhythm it is hard to just sit here and watch it pass
you by. This was how Theodore felt about Samantha and we can all identify with
either of them. We see glimpses of ourselves in Theodore, witnessing ourselves
falling in and then out of love, our struggle with maximizing our lives and
learning to accept joy, and that is what makes Her especially moving- a reminder to live disguised as an unorthodox
romance. After all, we are only here briefly; we might as well let some joy in
and live a little?
