Love; an emotion that cannot be defined, nor can it be controlled. Who is to judge what love truly is? Whether its for an inanimate object, or a person, it shouldn’t make a difference. If a little girl has a favourite stuffed animal and loves it more than anything, isn’t that real? Isn’t her love for it just as real as anything else? Love is feeling, not an object that can only be granted to certain people. Spike Jonzes Her is a remarkable film that challenges the way we view love, and feelings as a whole.
Theodore Thwombly is a lonely man, that is getting over his recent divorce. He feels as though life couldn’t possibly get better, or worse. At a stand still, with zero purpose and a dying need for someone to love. Suddenly, one day on his way back from another miserable day at work, he comes across an ad for a new form of technology. Its an artificially intelligent operating system, that has its own personality, thoughts, and feelings. He purchases it, out of curiosity, but the outcome is so much more than expected. He meets Samantha, the girl of his dreams. She understands him in ways that he thought were unattainable and made him feel human again. He was happy and content with life, however the biggest struggle was accepting it. Accepting the fact that he was in love with something that isn’t real in a physical state, but is real in his heart. He’s afraid of how people will react when he introduces her at a party, or how they might not understand. It’s a wonderful story that shows how people shouldn’t care. If you love someone, you love them.
This is one of those movies that will change a lot of peoples lives. I know it changed mine. I’ve been waiting for this film to be released since it started filming last year. And I’ve been amazed with how much love and respect its gotten with audiences across the world. I’ve been a fan of Jonzes work since Being John Malkovich, and Joaquin Phoenix since Gladiator. I knew it was going to be a great movie, but not this good. I honestly sat in the movie theatre, in tears from how amazing it was. I was kept up all night, because of its impact and the thoughts that come along with it. I can understand that some people might think that a film with such a strange plot isn’t worth watching, but its much more real than you would think. It’s like looking into the future and seeing what our reliance on technology will do. Our society is growing more and more devoted to technology and its convenience. I wouldn’t be surprised if an artificial intelligence program was created within ten years from now. It will consume our society and there will be no turning back. People will rely on technology for everything, making all human contact useless and the meaning of life altered. Even 20 years ago, man kind relied on conversation, and social interactions, rather than Facebook messages and snap chat. A persons self worth is measured on the amount of “likes” on a picture, rather than their actual personality. But is this necessarily a bad thing?
I will be difficult for filmmakers to create a movie as beautifully written and heartfelt as this one. Its one of the smartest films I’ve seen in a very long time and I hope that people will learn from it to accept the people around them and to love whatever makes them happy. All that matters is that at the end of your life you look back and see that you loved someone. That the simple thought of them brought joy to your world and pain out of your heart. Thats all that matters; love.
Film Dweeb 