HER ("LOVE IS IN THE AIR")

February 14, 2014.

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlette Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara.

Director: Spike Jonze.

A futuristic society where technology is at a level which cannot be imagined as of now with gadgets performing almost everything, a human being should be doing physically, just by voice command. That is where the story of Her is set.

Theodore (Joaquin) is a lonely to be divorced guy who leads a life without any excitement or fun. He is yet to let go of his wife (Rooney Mara), mentally and is very much in need of love. That is when a new operating system OS1 is launched which is based on Artificial Intelligence. It is evolved to such an extent that it is actually a human being without a physical body.

As expected Theo wants the OS1 to have a female voice and the OS names herself Samantha (voiced by Scarlette Johansson), and from there begins a different but genuine love story. The way Theo falls for Samantha has been written and directed so well that very soon you forget that Samantha is just an OS and not a human being. The first time Theo and Samantha have sex, yeah you read it right they DO have sex!!, is one of the best scenes in the film with magical music playing in the background. You realise the genius of Spike Jonze with just that scene alone in the way he has shot it never allowing it to be vulgar even for nano second, what you experience is pure love!!

The conversations that Theo and Sam have might remind you of the Before Midnight Series but then Her is at an altogether different level especially because of the brilliant writing by Spike Jonze. He so effortlessly manages to portray the relationship just like a normal relationship that two humans could have.

Though it is basically a love story there is a lot of humor in the film, many of which come at the most unexpected time that increases the level of laughter you have. The kid like thing from the videogame and the Mommy game are two such really creative and funny scenes.

Her is a bit of a wonderful paradox in the sense that it shows that love is the basis of all that is, and yet it is not really possible for a human to have a real relationship with an OS. Top notch direction ensures that this so very delicate of a plot finds an even better depiction on screen, leading the film to an inevitable yet beautiful climax that will linger on even after you have left the theatre.

The screenplay is a bit slow in the middle but it may be argued that it was something deliberate on the part of Jonze to allow some time for introspection and contemplation for the audience, may be as an aid for a better perspective!

Her is a total package scoring full marks in all the departments mainly direction, writing, cinematography, editing and music. But what stands out is the terrific acting by Joaquin and an even better one from Scarlett; if there was an Oscar award for lending your voice to a character it would surely go to Scarlette. She has taken Samantha beyond compare and this would surely be one of her most cherished roles, if I could say so.

I am giving a 4 for Her. Go fall in love!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.