A Technological World: Her

Written by: Maya Karapetyan, Olivia Kondo, David Krajewski, and Genesis Lazaro

Her (2013) 

14A | 2h 6 mins | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi | 10 January 2014 (Canada)
Director: Spike Jonze
Screenwriter: Spike Jonze
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJTU48_yghs

Section 1: Review of the film

Plot Summary

The movie “Her” takes place in a near-future Los Angeles, and follows the life of Theodore Twombly, a lonely and sad man, who works in a company that writes sentimental letters for people who are unable to write them for their own loved ones. 

Depressed due to his recent break-up with his childhood sweetheart Catherine, Theodore purchases an OS, an artificially intelligent virtual assistant. Theodore and Samantha, the name the OS gives to herself, begin bonding over discussions about love and life. They fall in love, and this relationship allows Theodore to finally sign his divorce papers. 

During the course of their romance, Samantha confesses that she has compiled the best of Theodore’s letters and sent them to a publisher under his name. Even though this demonstrates the love and care they have for each other, their relationship suffers from some problems, including jealousy and the fact that it is hard for them to have sex because Samantha does not have a body.

Eventually, Theodore finds out that Samantha has been talking to other OS's, and in fact is in love with 641 others and that leads to a big rupture in their relationship. Their relationship ends when Samantha tells him that she and all the operating systems are leaving (to where, who knows). They lovingly say goodbye, and Theodore goes to find his friend Amy to grieve the loss of their OS's together. 

Film Techniques

There are many interesting cinematic techniques used in this film, for example, editing. While Theodore is talking on the phone about his divorce, he has flashbacks of he and his wife, as well as their divorce process with their attorneys. That is a cross-cutting scene where two scenes are happening at once. This creates a more dramatic effect. As he is on the phone in real-time talking about his divorce and the papers he has to sign, we get a glimpse of where his mind is during the conversation. We get to see him remembering his wife and the process they went through; meeting with the attorneys, the anger in his wife’s face, the papers, and more. It adds more background to the main scene, and the viewer is able to empathize more with Theodore. Then, a long take is used when Theodore downloads Samantha. Since the beginning of the film, loneliness and solitude comes to our mind when we see Theodore. But with the introduction of Samantha in real-time, we become more interested in the film and in Theodore, and the audience is able to experience the way Theodore starts becoming more joyful and alive with her appearance.

Secondly, framing was another technique that was widely utilized. The opening shot was a close up of Theodore. The purpose of this is to make people question the setting of the scene. The shot is focused on Theodore as he is reading aloud what seems to be a love letter. At first, we do not understand who he is speaking to or even what the context is. It creates a lot of questions like where is he? What is he doing? Then the next scene reveals that he’s at work. Also, a long-shot shows Theodore in front of his computer in the middle of the frame having a joyful conversation with Samantha in his empty apartment. This shows that even when he looks happy talking to someone, he is still alone and has no company in real life.

The props that were used in the film hold a lot of meaning. A very important prop is Theodore's cellphone. It’s not just a cellphone for Theodore but it’s his love and it is in a sense Samantha's "body.". If he does not have his cellphone, he does not have Sam. It creates a dependence on his phone because it is the only place he can talk to her. He carries it around everywhere and even pins in his shirt in case it were to fall. Another significant prop is the earpiece he uses to actually communicate with Samantha. Theodore needs that earpiece to hear his lover’s voice. Without it, he cannot communicate with her. It is a small prop, but it holds so much importance for Theo. He puts it in, and he can talk to Sam when he wants. It’s so subtle that people from far wouldn’t even notice he has it in his ear, but for him, he realizes just how important it is to have. Moreover, all the other citizens have earpieces as well. Everyone is together, yet they all remain separated from each other because of their dependence on technological devices. Technology creates a disconnect between humans. 

Moreover, the costumes of the main character as well as the other citizens, provide a lot of meaning. For example, Theodore had a very simple wardrobe. He mostly wore these high-waisted pants paired with either a button-up top or a jacket thrown over a t-shirt. He wears a lot of red. He usually had a red shirt or a red jacket. That color can represent the love that he was missing in his life. So, he would wear a red item to try and hold onto any bit of love he may have in his life. It also made him stand out everywhere he was. Most people around were not wearing bright colors like him, so the viewer was drawn to him. Finally, it distinguishes him from the others and accentuates his alienation. Next, the costumes of the other citizens were simple and blended everyone together. They all wore neutral colors like greys, whites, light blues and more. That choice of costumes destroys individuality and emphasizes how technology really isolates everyone. However, since everyone is so isolated, they somehow become one big alienated population of similar people. The costumes truly portrayed that idea.

Finally, a few techniques were employed to create different effects on the film. A major recurring technique are flashbacks. Many times, during the film, there were flashbacks of Theodore and his ex-wife. Some were happy, some were sad. The flashbacks allowed the viewer to get a glimpse of the life and love that they had before. It creates a lot of sadness and allows the viewer to empathize even more with the character when they understand and see what he has lost. The flashbacks show Theo happy, and the viewer cannot help but want that for him again. Another interesting technique was also the use of filters. Often, when Theo would look out his window to the city, there was a sort of white filter over the entire city. It made it look very cold. That filter definitely emphasizes the idea that technology creates a cold, lonely and colorless world. It strips away all that is different in the world. Technology creates its own isolated white world. 

Universal Themes

1. One of the big themes in the movie “Her” is the idea of technology and all of its advances. The film portrays a world revolving around technology, in an era where artificial intelligence is at its peak. This theme is so important in the world we live in today. Our world has evolved immensely from the cavemen time, all due to the technological advances, and now, forms of artificial intelligence have become integrated into our lives. In fact, humanlike robots are now becoming a reality. The film takes place in the near future. It is so realistically produced, that it truly showcases how close we really are to a reality like the one in the film’s; a world governed by technology. 

2. Another question raised from the film is the possibility of human and robot relationships. The center of the movie is the love between Theodore and Samantha, the operating system. As much as in the film they truly fall in love, it leaves to wonder if that is a reality for us. With our world evolving and the possibility of robots being mass-produced, we can question ourselves if we are ready for such a life. Will these types of relationships satisfy us? The movie “Her” demonstrates the struggles that are present in that kind of relationship. In reality, a lot more difficulties could present themselves. It is essential that we ask ourselves if this is a real possibility. 

3. Lastly, a major issue portrayed in the film “Her” is the isolation caused by technology. We see a  world filled with people that walk around isolated to their cellular devices. It opens eyes to the reality that we are facing today. Technology has gained so much importance and power in our lives that they control our emotions and drag us to lose our human touch. The film very well demonstrates that all of these advancements can do a lot more harm than good. It shines light on the issues of addiction and loneliness that arrive from these high-tech devices. 

Word count for section 1: 1472 words 

Section 2: Quality of the film + relation to key concepts

The cinematography of the film was impeccable. The costumes, the colors of the sets, and the sets themselves added to the beauty of the film. The sets, like his workplace described before, were very beautifully conceptualized. Moreover, the use of flashbacks created a very nice effect to the movie. The viewer is able to get a glimpse of his life before, while watching his present days, which is in fact very interesting. 

However, in our opinion, the relationship between Theodore and Samantha was not very realistic. It was very hard for us to connect with the emotional aspect of their relationship, so we were not really affected by the outcome of the movie. Furthermore, we found there was not much exposed about Theodore’s backstory. Nothing from his family, childhood, or past relationships other than his ex-wife, that would allow the viewer to truly connect and feel an emotional connection to the main character was revealed. In addition, we found that the scenes where Theodore and Samantha have sex were a little bit disturbing and uncomfortable. We understand the idea behind it and the importance of those scenes, but it surely creates discomfort in the viewer. 

On the bright side, the film displayed a lot of important messages. It also portrayed a beautiful friendship between Theodore and Amy. Lastly, the actors in the film performed exquisitely. Joaquin Phoenix, as well as Scarlett Johansson, delivered their lines in a very natural way. In brief, we appreciated the concept of the movie and the cinematography, but we did not necessarily enjoy the movie. We would recommend the film to people more aware of technology and those who do not need a human relationship to feel the emotion.

Rating: 3.75/5

1. Firstly, a very major concept in the film is the importance and advancement of technology. In life as we know it today, there exist robots and different technological creations, but they do not have what is called a self-aware self. A self-aware self “can reflect. It can introspect. It knows it exists. […] It can represent its own consciousness”. In the film “Her”, Samantha, the operating system, is a very advanced reem of technology that can actually feel different emotions and introspect on its own “life”. When Theodore decides to initially break up with her, after they try having sexual intercourse with the surrogate female, Samantha is heartbroken. She says: “[…] Where is this coming from? I don’t understand why you’re doing this. […] I don’t like who I am right now. I need some time to think.” That sort of thing does not happen to only a minimal self. A minimal self “is not observing itself. It is not reflecting on its own bodily or cognitive processes”. From those definitions, it is clear that Samantha has developed, over the course of the movie, a self-aware self. She feels many emotions, like sadness, happiness, jealousy, etc. which prove that she is able to reflect on herself and how she is feeling. Her, along with the other OS’s are even so advanced that they have to leave because the human race is too “slow” for them. They have reached a level of self-awareness and intelligence that humans do not have. The movie is in such a near future that it is not unrealistic to think that soon the real world could have self-aware selves like the operating systems from the movie.

2. The next key concept is ethics or axiology. Ethics is the moral thoughts and decisions we make on a daily basis. What is the right way for humans to live? In the movie “Her”, the idea of this unnatural love relationship definitely raises ethical questions. Love, as we know it, is usually between two human beings. That is what is accepted by society. It has also evolved from only girl-boy relationships to now understanding that homosexual relationships are very real and simply love. Now in this movie, it is a relationship between a human and at its base, a machine. That is not, in our society, viewed as a “right” relationship. Since the majority does not live that way, it is not really possible for humans to empathize with that kind of relationship. The movie demonstrates that there is a possibility for true love to be a part of such a relationship. When Theodore is talking to Amy after having broken up with Samantha, Amy tells him: “But you know what, I can over-think everything and find a million ways to doubt myself. But since Charles left I’ve been thinking about that part of me, and I realized I’m only here briefly. And in my time here, I want to allow myself…joy. So f*** it.” That is her way of telling Theodore that it does not matter if this is not what is considered a “normal” relationship. It does not matter if the majority of people are doing it or if it has always been this way or not been this way. It does not matter if it is ethical or not. All that matters is if he is happy, and that is all he should be focusing on. Theodore even tells Samantha, before she leaves, that “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.” Thus, ethics is a big concept behind the relationship between Theodore and Samantha.

3. Finally, there can be the idea of experiential consciousness which can be explained as each individual’s own consciousness derived from their experience. This can be applied to Samantha. As an operating system, she has a different kind of consciousness than Theodore and all of the other humans. Her “qualia” which is defined as “the qualities of experience”, is different than Theodore’s. It is established that she has a self-aware self, so she feels emotions, but it is a different self-aware self than Theo’s for example. She lives and feels emotions partly from the knowledge she has acquired from Theodore and his world, but as well as all of the knowledge she already had programmed in her system. For example, when she has sexual intercourse with Theodore, it is a very different experience for the two. As much as the feeling of pleasure is present in both Theo and Sam, Sam does not have the physical body to truly physically feel the pleasure, like Theo. For her, it is a mental pleasure alone. So, she experiences consciousness on a different level and a different way than Theodore which then allows for a different conceptualization of thus consciousness. She feels and lives in the way that she can. Her experiences are different than those of Theodore and the other humans. They are not less valuable or more valuable, but simply different. So, she has a level of consciousness, but it is very much an experiential consciousness due to the fact that she experiences life in a different way. So, everything that she lives through and all the knowledge that she acquires is based on her experiences. 

Section 3: Questions + further information

1. Do you think Theodore ended up experiencing growth at the end of the film?

2.  Are we doing our world a favor by creating these new technologies, or are we actually ruining human life and risking robots taking over the world?

3. Is it possible to be in a healthy relationship with a robot and feel complete satisfaction and love?

a) https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201906/will-sex-robots-bring-about-the-end-civilization

This article discusses sex robots and the impact they could have on our world. Written by a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz, Genn Geher, the article explains the risks and potential problems associated with sex robots. Scientific facts, as well as psychology, are present in this article to help discuss the issue of sex robots.

b) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5t6K9iwcdw

This CNBC youtube video demonstrates an interview with a lifelike robot named Sophia. The robot answers the interviewer’s questions about life, philosophy, artificial intelligence as well as her functions. It is a very interesting video, denoting the realness of Sophia and the possibility of this advancement. 

Sources

“Her”, IMDb, January 9^th 2019, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/

“The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)”, https://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Her.html

Golden, John. “Introducing Cinematic and Theatrical Elements in Film”, Teach with Movies, John Abbott College, 2019, p.9-17, Course Pack

McKinney, KA. Knowing the Inner Self, John Abbott College, 2019, p.3-7, Course Pack.