When I purchased my iPhone 5, it came with an application called Siri, an intelligent personal assistant that lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, and more. Its pleasant female voice reminded me of my wife’s, as did its response to directions: it would often misinterpret what I said and do its own thing, or ignore me altogether. I was amazed at how lifelike the application was.
Siri has nothing on OS1, though, the operating system Theodore Twombly installs on his computer in “Her,” a near-future romantic comedy drama written and directed by Spike Jonze (“Where the Wild Things Are,” “Being John Malkovich”). She not only deletes unnecessary emails, proofreads Twombly’s work, and keeps him informed of what’s next on his schedule, she provides warm, responsive, human-like interaction that makes falling in love with her easy.
Of course, having the sultry voice of actress Scarlett Johansson helps with the falling in love part.
As played by Joaquin Phoenix, Twombly is the human equivalent of a gray piece of paper. A lonely, introverted man, he spends his days writing love letters for people who are unable to express their emotion and his nights pining for his wife, from whom he’s separated. He’s a brilliant writer, though, and a sweet and funny man when someone brings him out of his shell.
When he installs OS1, the chemistry is there from the beginning. Named Samantha, she makes Twombly laugh, gets him to open up, and provides him with emotional support. Soon, he’s interacting with her like she’s a real human being, and she’s acting playfully jealous when he goes on a blind date with a flesh-and-blood woman. OS1 was programmed to evolve and gain consciousness, so their relationship eventually resembles that of a real couple.
Jonze uses the visual language of romantic cinema as a form of short hand to suggest their deepening relationship. In perhaps my favorite shot in the movie, Twombly holds his phone at arm’s length, the camera pointing at his face, and spins around as Samantha laughs. From Samantha’ point of view, Twombly looks like he’s holding Samantha’s hands as they spin around.
“Her” follows the couple as they experience the joys, and the ups and downs, of every romance. But Jonze is doing more than using a man and a computer to replicate a human relationship; to do so would be to suggest that technology is getting to the point where it can replace human interaction. That would be easy - and inaccurate. Rather, I believe he wants us to see how our growing attachment to technology makes disconnecting from the people around us easier. As Twombly rides the subway and walks through crowds, he and everyone around him are absorbed in their gadgets, and for all intents and purposes might as well be alone.
I liked “Her” a lot. Phoenix is a talented actor, the kind that sinks so deeply into a role, you see the character, not the actor playing the character. Here, he had what must have been the challenging task of spending most of the movie alone onscreen, looking as though he were interacting with another human. His facial expressions, body language, and voice are consistently natural; he looks giddy when they’re joking around, and distraught when troubles arise. Above all, Phoenix casts that magic that can’t be described in a movie review, but just makes audiences believe he is who he’s pretending to be.
I have never appreciated Jonze’s directing more, and I generally like his movies. “Her” is quiet, as though Twombly exists in a bubble that blocks out noise, and the scenes in which he shows Twombly recalling moments from his marriage - also done without sound or dialogue - are heartbreaking. His ability to communicate story and emotion through imagery alone is remarkable.
While insightful and probing, “Her” is also funny. The video game character with which Twombly interacts gets the movie’s biggest laughs. Let’s just say I didn’t expect such...inappropriate behavior from such a cute little guy.
“Her” ends on a note of hope, but I left the theater sad and introspective, as I’m sure Jonze intended. When the emotions a movie stirs linger for hours, you know you’ve seen something special.
Three-and-a-half stars out of four. Rated R for language, sexual content, and nudity.