I sat down in my seat. As the lights began to dim, I mentally began to prepare to have my heart curb-stomped. “Her”, directed by Spike Jonze, proved to be so much more than just a judo-chop to the soul.
The film opens with Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a personal letter writer, wallowing in shock and disorientation following his impending divorce from his childhood sweetheart Catherine (Rooney Mara). Twombly is unexpectedly, adorably and somewhat unnervingly, fished out of his tar-pit of depression through falling in love with Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), his laptop’s artificially intelligent operating system.
Phoenix delivered an endearing and sincere performance as the hurt and somewhat lost Theodore Twombly. He masterfully embodied the goofy naïveté that comes along with falling in love, but also steered the process to realistic in parts of the film where Twombly clearly emotionally withdrew, overcome with self-doubt. The understated and decidedly subtle performance in these particular scenes was sincere to the point of discomfort.
It is easy to assume that since Johansson did not physically appear in the film that her performance would be second rate; this, however, is far from the case. By only having her voice to create a full, complex, emotionally layered character, Johansson was forced to have complete honesty in her characterization, discoveries and intentions, From the introduction to her character to the resolution of her storyline, Johansson not only delivers a clear arc to Samantha, but also a fully fleshed out person, despite the absence of actual screen time.
Despite the somewhat outlandish sounding plot, the themes of the film were remarkably relatable. The idea of being open to uncertainty and learning to live in the grey area that comes along with the seismic shifts of life are themes reiterated through the development of Twombly’s and Samantha’s relationship. The confusing feeling of the world around the characters remaining static as their personal lives shift dramatically is artfully perpetuated through the gorgeous cinematography. The sweeping pastel and neutral color tones of the film, coupled with the soft edges in imagery of the scenes create a hauntingly relaxed feeling.
The acting, cinematography and closing scene were more than enough to make up for the odd plot twist toward the end of the film.
I left the theater with my heart in one piece, safely in my chest.
Thumbs: Up or Down.