Her (2013)

Now a bit of a preface before I get into this review. I love talking about and watching films, but rarely have I done a written review so if it appears a little formulaic what I present, well, so be it. It's all about evolution and if I can get back into doing this on a regular basis I'm sure it will in turn create a more flowing experience for the next film review. Having tried different formats for my game reviews (albeit a while ago), I feel it's best just to go with a more generalised and structured review, as opposed to a more casual interpretation. Now without further adieu: Her.

Written and directed by Spike Jonze, whose directorial credits vary so greatly from documentaries and music videos (Sabotage by The Beastie Boys, Daft Punk's Da Funk), to feature length films of different genres such as 1999's Being John Malkovich to 2009's Where the Wild Things Are and even 2013's Bad Grandpa (a collaboration with Jackass' Johnny Knoxville), Her, essentially a sci-fi romance, doesn't necessarily seem like the kind of film Jonze would do. Especially taking into consideration this is his first wholly original film, with his previous works being in collaboration with Charlie Kaufman or the adaptation of a noted children's book. But what he has managed to do is bring to the screen a powerful movie about love, loss, personal growth and the nature of existence. I don't like the term 'emotional ride' or 'emotional rollercoaster', but this is a film which will have you experiencing a wide degree of emotions and it's commendable to Jonze that he has managed to create that experience in a film which, under different circumstance, may not be able to stand this way this one has.

Her focuses on Theodore Twombly (Joaquim Phoenix), a middle-aged man working as a letter writer for people unable to adequately express themselves in a future-Los Angeles. Having been through a break up and in the middle of divorce proceedings it's an interesting diametric presented initially, given that this character, who has the talent to 'feel' for other people and put that to writing, himself is living a lonely, unloving existence spent cycling through email's, playing computer games, having a awkward conversations with his neighbours and using phone sex lines in an effort to bring some sort of fulfilment to his dull life.

With the release of a new computer operating system though, his life begins to change. The disembodied voice of the system, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) starts to become a bigger factor in his life, changing and evolving and growing as an individual, the two form a bond which strengthens during the movie, in turn allowing Twombly to want to better himself from the person he was.

Of course with any romantic film, tribulations are a given, and on numerous occasions these come to the fore but given the fact that Samantha is a computer it adds another dimension, bringing in questions of the nature and validity of their relationship, jealousy, the judgements that others have of this sort of relationship. And we see in this film differing viewpoints from others on this issue, which is refreshing and essential.

The two leads are fantastic, Phoenix  gives a great performance as this character, from the opening moments taking you through his daily life, and further on as he reflects on the mistakes he made in his previous relationship, his fear of going through the same again, and the difficulty he has in the relationship with Samantha, are all effectively presented by the actor. Johansson is exceptional in her voice-work which is so well conveyed, and as such the audience in turns genuinely feels for these two individuals as they go face the inevitable hurdles, her own personality shines through, with optimism, curiosity, turning to melancholy, uncertainty, fear throughout the course of the film, a wonderful performance. Many shots also linger exclusively on Theodore during his conversations with Samantha, giving such moments a highly intimate tone. Commendable supporting roles also to Amy Adams and Chris Pratt as Theodore's neighbour and co-worker respectively, and a great cameo from Kristen Wiig; who you may not even recognize till the end credits. Olivia Wilde also has a small role, and Rooney Mara stars as Theodore's bitter ex-wife.

The direction from Jonze is fantastic, the way that he is able to convey the conversations between Theodore and Samantha was incredible, and some of the quieter moments where the score takes over are just as good. The score as well warrants a mention. Penned by Canadian indie band Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett, with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs also penning a track, was incredibly moving and just perfect for the film. Unfortunately to date there has been no official soundtrack release.

And the cinematography is also incredible. As this is set in the near future we have a credibly presented possible Los Angeles, expanded with CGI to include much more sky-scrapers in it's already sprawling landscape, and with extra footage being shot in Shanghai, it gives the film a plausible and realistic appearance despite it's future setting.

It's worth noting that in addition for it's Golden Globe win for Best Screenplay this film is up for several Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Score and Best Original Screenplay.

If there are any negative aspects of this film, the only one I can think of would be length, if you do not like long movies then this might not necessarily be your thing. Clocking in at over 2 hours it can feel like a very long movie given it's so character driven as opposed to say, an action film which can make a 2 hour run-time feel much shorter, however I felt the length was necessary to delve into each possible moment these characters could have and situation they face throughout the course of the story.

I do highly recommend this film though. A+