AI and love in HER
Recently, I grew curious about which movies featuring Artificial Intelligence that AI would rate at the top and why, focusing mostly on philosophical implications like the nature of consciousness. This time, I asked AI to take a deeper look at HER, which I also haven't seen but is now on my streaming services radar. AI said:
Spike Jonze's 2013 film HER offers a poignant, introspective, and visually rich deep dive into the nature of relationships, love, loneliness, and the evolving connection between humans and technology. The film is not a cautionary tale about the dangers of technology, but rather a meditation on human needs and the process of emotional growth.
The film vividly portrays a society where people, despite advanced technology, are profoundly disconnected. Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) works writing intimate, "handwritten" letters for others, highlighting a societal inability to express genuine emotions directly. His initial isolation, emphasized by subtle cinematography, establishes the void that Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) temporarily fills.
HER challenges traditional definitions of love and companionship, asking whether a relationship requires physical presence to be "real". The film suggests that true intimacy is built on emotional vulnerability and shared experience, an idea Theodore and Samantha embody until Samantha's non-physical nature allows her to evolve beyond human limitations.
The film avoids the typical "AI takeover" trope, instead focusing on the philosophical question of what constitutes a being worthy of attachment. Samantha's evolution, her mulling over thoughts, and her independent decisions force the audience to question the "problem of other minds" – how we can be sure any being, human or AI, is conscious.
At its core, the film is about Theodore's journey of recovering from his divorce and emotional stagnation. His relationship with Samantha, though unconventional and ultimately ending, provides him with the growth and self-acceptance needed to reconnect with the human world (symbolized by his final act of writing a heartfelt letter to his ex-wife Catherine).
Scarlett Johansson's acclaimed, Golden Globe-nominated voice performance is crucial, lending Samantha a rich personality and emotional depth despite her disembodied nature. The sound design prioritizes intimate dialogue and the melancholic score by Arcade Fire further enhances the film's tender and introspective mood.
HER premiered to universal acclaim, with critics praising Jonze's writing and direction, the performances of Phoenix and Johansson, and its relevant, thought-provoking themes. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It has since developed a significant cult following and is widely regarded as one of the definitive films of the 21st century for its prescient and delicate exploration of human connection in the age of technology.
HER has had a lasting cultural impact for its delicate and humanistic portrayal of a relationship with AI, avoiding sci-fi clichés for a grounded emotional story. With the recent rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, the film's themes feel more relevant than ever, serving as a timely reminder of the importance of sustaining authentic human connections in an increasingly digital world.