Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely love letter writer in the near future who is struggling to move past his recent breakup and come to terms with his impending divorce. Sweet and sensitive, Theodore struggles to find somebody who truly understands him – until he meets Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), a personalized operating system designed to learn and grow as it helps him through his daily life. As Samantha evolves, so does her relationship with Theodore, and it isn’t long before Theodore finds himself deeply in love with his “OS.”
Since Her is a very nontraditional film, I was curious to see what the Academy would make of it, and was very glad to discover that they seemed to have liked it as much as I did. Her received a coveted and well-deserved Best Picture nomination, as well as one for Original Score, Original Song, Production Design, and Original Screenplay. Its best chance for a win probably lies in Original Screenplay, as the film is very dialogue heavy and focuses greatly on its words as opposed to its images; this is a love story between a man and a disembodied voice, after all. Fellow nominee American Hustle will present some serious competition with its whip sharp and witty script, however. The film also has a good chance in the Original Song category with its lovely piece “The Moon Song,” which promises to resonate in one’s head days after the film has been viewed in a not unpleasant manner. I have made my displeasure with this year’s Best Actor in a Leading Role nominees known in previous articles, so suffice it to say that I believe the brilliant and captivating Joaquin Pheonix, who is forced to act virtually alone onscreen for almost the entirety of the film, to have been snubbed almost to the same degree as Tom Hanks from Captain Phillips. How such a powerful and emotional performance as Pheonix’s could have been ignored by the Academy is simply beyond this critic’s understanding.
Her is an atypical love film depicting an atypical love story. Although it is set in the near future and contains technology not quite possible today, the world presented is entirely relatable and the emotions evoked are timeless. Bittersweet sadness may emanate from every scene, but this film ultimately has a lot to say about the nature of love and relationships, and not all presented is negative. Her causes one to think profoundly and to feel deeply, and is easily one of my favourite films of the past year.
