Sunday, 23 February 2014

150W: Her

Short reviews for clear and concise verdicts on a broad range of films...


Her (Dir. Spike Jonze/2014)

Spike Jonze’s future-romance Her is a strange story. Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is divorced and struggling to move on. Within a (not-so) hand-written card company, he writes letters to manufacture intimacy and love. But an Operating System - dubbed OS1 - introduces an unexpected friendship, and romance, with a computer program (Voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Told as a story of acceptance and heartbreak, the intelligence of Jonze is handling the story delicately and sympathetically so Theodore is not judged. We are not critical of the tender “OS” relationship and therefore see it play-out in its entirety. Indeed, abstract artist Cy Twombly is famed for his romantic symbolism and this is what Jonze is exploring. It’s recognisable in the voice-recognition software and the need for socio-personal contact in Facebook. Her won’t shock, but it’ll linger as a lost-love would, as you relate to his search for companionship in this lonely world.

Rating: 8/10

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