Her Review

Directed by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson and Amy Adams, Her follows Theodore Twombly, a secluded writer who falls in love with his operating system or OS named Samantha. The film is set in a near-future version of Los Angeles however science fiction is the least addressed genre in this film.

The film is a melancholy observation on human relationships and human interaction in the modern age. The near-future setting is surprisingly believable and easy to relate to. There are no flying cars, hover boards or grungy urban cities. Instead Jonze delivers a very minimalist Los Angeles which equal parts sleek, elegant and somehow, just right. It's a testament to the setting of the film that it barely features in the story and yet is quite memorable, Jonze gives the audience just enough of a glimpse to show that this is a different world to ours, yet not so much that it feels alien to us.

Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly

Nevertheless, the story and characters are the main focus of this film. Joaquin Phoenix has played many villains in his career and is adept at doing so, but his portrayal of Twombly deserves equal merit. Depression, loneliness and anti-social behavior are all facets of his daily life complimented by the disjointed setting. It's ironic that this near-future world has more connectivity with technology than ever and yet the human characters are all so disconnected. Twombly moves through life like a ghost until he purchases an OS. An artificial intelligence that tailors its personality to its owner, think Siri, if Siri worked! But of course much smarter, dynamic and alive. This AI becomes Samantha for Twombly played by Johansson. Her character never physically appears on screen and yet this is an exceptional performance from Johansson, what she manages to convey just through her voice is quite remarkable ranging from curiosity and inquisitiveness to passion, heart and soul. The audio and dialogue is just right so that you get that sense her voice is speaking into your ear, which is the primary way Samantha and Twombly communicate. Amy Adams also puts on a decent display, a mirror at times to Twombly and vice versa and is an important character who provides a human contact for Twombly.

Amy Adams as Amy

Along with the wonderful setting and acting on display here is a neat script and screenplay. One of my few criticisms is the film can feel overly long. Many scenes can be pretty hard going and some of the emotions are dragged out unnecessarily. The film won't be to everyone's tastes (few are) but for a such melancholy movie there is plenty of humour too, poking fun at our modern lives.

Her is a fantastic film, and one of the best science-fiction films I have seen in recent memory. Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johansson's performances are outstanding as is the story of looking for human compassion in a technologically connected world.