“Her,” is written and directed by Spike Jonze (“Adaptation”), starring Joaquin Phoenix (“The Master”), Scarlett Johansson (“The Avengers”) and Amy Adams (“American Hustle”), a long-anticipated wait for independent film fans everywhere.
The film follows the love-life plight of Theodore Twombly (played by Phoenix), a puppy-faced, heartbroken man who works at an agency that creates lovely handwritten letters for people to send to their loved ones. Twombly is still recovering from the emotional trauma of his recent divorce and finds solace when he downloads the world’s first artificially intelligent operating system who names herself Samantha (voiced by Johansson).
From there the plot shows the development of the two’s romantic relationship and how it evolves. Whether it’s overcoming the physical/nonphysical divide that separates them or overcoming the judgment of a society that sees the relationship as strange, “Her” covers the movements of heartbreak, loss, loneliness and change all in a depth and detail only Jonze could pull off.
There isn’t a performance in the film that is not notably tremendous. So much of the weight of the film rests on Phoenix and not once does he drop the ball. His facial expressions alone could almost move one to tears, especially when coupled with the original score composed by Arcade Fire. It also takes quite an actress to convey so much emotion and energy using only the voice, and Johansson makes the task sound effortless. The lustful, whimsical and aggressive tones she takes on are nothing short of phenomenal. She is truly able to bring the character of Samantha to life.
It is also worth noting the visuals of the film are all together jaw-dropping. The cinematography has a warmth and glow to it that looks nearly like a music video (which makes sense for Jonze’s background) and sticks firmly to the red/orange color palette. The wardrobes and scenery for the characters seem almost like too much of an indie design paradise to be real. Jonze is delicate in crafting the futurist utopia while still accentuating the utter loneliness and sobriety that exists even through the beauty.
As far as weaknesses go, the film (as nearly all Spike Jonze films do) requires a certain level of unquestioning belief. Certain aspects of this future world seem altogether improbable and the film’s conclusion seems to be a stretch into the realms of sci-fi. There are also some scenes that come off as unnecessarily melodramatic. Even the relentlessly stylized cinematography can be overwhelming at times that it seems uncalled for.
Nevertheless, the film is an enjoyable ride through the series of emotions Jonze is so emphatically exploring. Although the film is long with very few heavy plot events, it never ceases to evoke wonder and curiosity into the lives and fates of its characters. Jonze has definitely broken from his old mold of Charlie Kaufman and utilized a beautifully unique voice that the world got a peek at in “Where The Wild Things Are” in order to dive into the ocean that is human relationships and the emotions involved.
