Words about "Her"

Her was simply amazing. That's the only way that I can begin this discussion. It’s everything you ask for in a film. The cinematography, the acting, the music, the chemistry, the themes, those small moments that make you grin; it just worked. Most importantly, Spike Jonze could not have written and directed a most thought-provoking film. I’m going to spew words onto this page -- what provoked my thoughts, mostly --  because I’ve never written about a film before.  Let’s see how this goes.

Her is set in futuristic Los Angeles, but not so far into the future that it becomes sci-fi-esque. It’s set in a new future that sports new fashion trends, advanced architecture, but no drastic changes to daily lives. Well, no one is driving flying cars or jet packs around yet, let’s just put it that way. However, sophisticated operating systems are now a detail of everyday life. It’s no Siri; it’s much more advanced, with human voices and what can be taken as emotions, feelings, thoughts, habits, likings, dislikings, and much more. 

I say these "can be taken as" because they are artificial, used to meet the needs of the user that birthed the operating system, in a way. I believe these features are artificial to make the consumer happy. However, it is possible that the operating system is so advanced that it can produce it's own thoughts and feelings and such. You will have to decide for yourself when you watch.

As far as the plot, I plan to leave it here. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you. I mostly want to discuss the social undertones and questions that lie within the film that starred a versatile Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson’s voice, and a stunning Amy Adams.

The clearest undertone that stood out most through multiple instances in the film is how unpersonalized life in the future is, primarily due to technology. 

Everyone on the train seems to have a wireless earpiece and a handheld device with the “living” operation system inside of it, much like Phoenix’s character – Theodore -- has. No one communicates with each other in public in this scenario. They all go about their own lives, not turning a cheek to acknowledge another human being, which possesses true, relatable feelings. Rather, the people revert to artificial feelings that the operating system presents them with, often more relatable -- though artificial -- to those around them. Theo, of course, falls in line with these artificial-feeling-seekers.

In fact, Theo, ia a very relatable romantic in the film. He works for a website that writes highly personalized cards and notes using pertinent information of both the sender and the receiver. So personalized that Theo at one point writes about a little girl’s snaggly tooth. People are paying Theo -- and many other that work for this company -- to write cards for other people. Theo write cards for people he doesn't know. Does it get anymore unpersonalized and uncaring?

Sounds crazy, right?

But how is their imminent technology and usage of said technology so dissimilar from our present day technology? It’s not. We can trek through our day without communicating with those around us. (Except for when murmuring, “excuse me”, to that woman you just ran into because you forgot to look up from your iPhone.) We can brighten or destroy a person’s emotions via social media. Sometimes – like the operating system – these “people” do not pose threats to our real life. We can toss and turn a person's feelings without ever meeting them. We can turn people off or block them out with the click of a button. We choose what we see on our feeds, what we hear on the televisions, radios just like the futuristic operating system brings you what you want to hear, with relatability to your life.

At one point, Theo sits in his living room, playing a video game on a holographic screen and talking to his companion – an operating system. They chat it up, they joke, they laugh, they cuss each other out, and they argue. It’s one of the most social scenes in the movie.

But, truly, Theo is alone. Alone with two artificial things. Alone without human interaction. Alone with his feelings.

Technology, more and more, is becoming more than just an extension of us. It is becoming a substitute for the need for human interaction. Technology is how we live. Our relevance, our importance, our status in our social lives can be tied directly to technology and how we use it.

In today’s world, everyone is here, everyone is existing, but no one is existing with each other, because instead they exist with technology.

Everyone is alone (with technology).

This film truly pushed the limits of how we view our futuristic society, and where we are going. Technology needs to evolve, and it needs to continue to push to improve the quality of life. But if it replaces human interaction – as it already has begun to do – we forget what we’re really here for.

Jonze has crafted a film that still has me thinking, and a bit mind-twisted. But still has me wanting to watch it again, and again, and again.

There is so much more that I want to write about this film. Can a computer replace human interaction? Can you be alone with technology? Or is it still just alone? These are ideas that go deeper than just technology and would be denser than I want to get right now.

Please leave comments below to start a discussion or share your thoughts with me on Twitter.