HER
Spike Jonze’s prescient combination of cynicism and romanticism
Spoilers for Her (2013)
The growth of AI technologies has only emphasised the themes of Spike Jonze’s 2013 film Her, in which Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with a self-learning operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).
In lesser hands, the film could have been a farce, mocking the connection that Theodore develops with the system. Jonze, however, takes from his own personal experiences, and the momentary excitement that comes from interacting with a new technology to gently probe the relationship.
It’s well-publicised that Jonze used his divorce from Sofia Coppola as a baseline for the original script, similar to how Giovanni Ribisi’s character in Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003) is loosely based on Jonze. Theodore is lonely, and increasingly introverted following the breakup of his marriage with childhood sweetheart Catherine (Rooney Mara). In the opening moments of the film, we see him pulling away from his friend Amy (Amy Adams), focusing on his work and a series of unsatisfying, if very funny, phone sex encounters.
The introduction of the operating system, which takes the name Samantha, piques his interest at first because he is fascinated with how it works. Samantha has been developed to learn from her own experiences, to grow as a personality and as a piece of software to benefit the user.
This ability to grow is something that Jonze is keen to explore. Theodore’s relationship with Catherine broke down because, in her words, he was unable to deal with real emotions and change. He had this romanticised version of her in his head and could not cope with the real problems and responsibilities that come with a relationship.
Similarly, as Samantha develops and becomes more complex, the relationship starts to falter. It starts with her desire to truly feel something, leading to her hiring a sexual surrogate – something that becomes too strange for Theodore.
She then begins to look beyond her relationship with Theodore, desiring more than a human could possibly want or facilitate because her software has developed exponentially. As a metaphor for human growth, it is taken to an extreme, but it remains relatable to the growth that any normal person wants and achieves in their life.
Jonze is not critical of Theodore, nor is he dismissive of technology. Her is not a technophobic film. The relationship with Samantha does not provoke discussions about the evasive use of technology in our lives. Instead, Jonze shows concern for how disconnected we are, even though we have technology that demands that we are always connected.
This is clear from the opening scene. Theodore works for a company that produces personal letters for people. While it’s never specifically stated that these are solely romantic in nature, Theodore certainly works primarily in this area, with specific clients that hire him to write loving letters to their spouses and partners on special occasions.
Similarly to Theodore, these customers struggle to put their feelings into words. While Theodore can’t do this within his own relationships, it’s shown that he has a real talent for this work – so much so, that Samantha curates a series of them for a book which is picked up by a publisher later in the film. But when a colleague Paul (Chris Pratt) complements Theodore’s work, he responds that they are ‘just letters’.
It takes further a concept we are all familiar with. How does Theodore’s work, beyond the professional connection and research, differ from the card industry? Millions of people purchase pre-written declarations of love, sorrow and congratulations. Our inability to vocalise basic emotions has created a multi-million dollar industry, and this awkwardness and inability to connect on a deeper level are then taken further with the character of Theodore.
Jonze is quick to show us how important these emotions are. When Theodore is happy, his work improves because he can relate to the relationships he is writing about. When he is bogged down with his impending divorce – brought on by his inability to accept change or vocalise his discomfort - or when things with Samantha are more difficult than he would like, his work suffers, it becomes generic and unmeaningful.
More importantly, in the blossoming stages of the relationship with Samantha, Theodore interacts more with the people around him. He puts more effort into his friendships, spending time with Amy and even taking a short trip with Paul and his partner. Jonze is less concerned with the nature of our relationships, be them platonic, romantic, with another human or with an AI. Her is, at its heart, a film about connection and its importance.
Writer & Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt
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