HER (Team 8)

Her: Film Blog Review

Winifred Jia, Rachael Myers, David Vauthier, Jane Weber

  Her is a 2013 film directed and written by Spike Jonze that stars Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson and Rooney Mara. Its running time is 126 minutes (IMDb 2014). To view the trailer, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QRvTv_tpw0

General Review:

The romantic science-fiction film “Her” tells the story of Theodore Twombly, a lonely man who lives in a futuristic Los Angeles and works for a company where he writes personal letters for other people. Feeling lonely and depressed from his recent divorce, he decides to get an Operating System (OS), an artificial intelligence named Samantha. Theodore and Samantha begin to bond and form a friendship but, over the course of their time together, they eventually fall in love. Through their relationship, Theodore finds himself becoming more open and social. Though they love each other very much, they sometimes encounter limitations to their relationship because of Samantha’s incorporeal existence. As if that wasn’t hard enough, they also face judgement because not everyone is open to the idea of dating computer programs. In the end, the film explores the ideas of personhood and love and pushes the viewer to wonder: ‘what does it even mean to be human?”

To fully explore this theme, Her makes use of several film techniques; namely set design, props, sound, costumes, and character.

First, set design plays an essential role in characterizing the world of the film.

Theodore’s apartment, for example, is an exploration of his character. It is large and well furnished indicating that he is an affluent and successful man. However, this material success contrasts greatly with his current emotional/inter-personal failures. This is further reflected through the unopened boxes seen everywhere. These communicate to the viewer a key part of his personality: his inability to move on, open up and accept the past.

Theodore's apartment (Jonze 2014)

In addition to this, Theodore’s office is an important set. Clean, open and deliberate, the colour palette of the muted earthy pastels of the set is reserved and tasteful–as is the entire film. It exudes ease, comfort and a sort of retro-futuristic tone. However, this is not the only worldbuilding accomplished by the set. These characteristics also lend themselves to a somewhat lonely and artificial feeling. In a sense, it makes the audience too comfortable and enhances the complacent isolation the characters find themselves in. The characters live in an era of hyper-connection, yet everyone is alone and remote; so distant in the beautifully disconnected workspace.

The Beautiful Handwritten Letters office (Jonze 2014)

Second, the film's meaning is made more accessible with props, such as the earpiece and the phone.

Though Theodore is incredibly reserved, his relationship with Samantha remains one of the only times we see him meaningfully interact with another in the film. Yet, paradoxically, his only way of connecting with is to isolate himself further by literally taking him out of the real world. This forces the question onto the viewer: Is Samantha truly easing his loneliness or only aggravating his situation?

Similarly, the prop of the phone is a very important component of the film. Throughout the film, it is easy for the viewer to forget that Samantha is not a true corporeal being. Whenever the phone and its camera are brought into the shot, however, the audience is directly presented with her body-less existence. In this way, the phone is a paradoxical state of standing in a physical vessel of Samantha whilst also being the very reminder of her lack of a true body.

Next, both diegetic and non-diegetic sound play significant roles in the plot.

For instance, in the heartbreaking scene of the signing of the divorce papers, we are treated to flashbacks of the previously happy couple and the love the seemed to share overlayed with the simple diegetic sound of Catherine’s pen moving on the page, signing the divorce papers. This enhances the emotion of the scene, contrasting the love and happiness while the pen evokes the imminent termination of the coupling.

Divorce dinner (Jonze 2014)

To continue, depending on the scene, Samantha’s voice will vary from being internal diegetic (only Theodore can hear her) or diegetic. Being the central plot device of the film, Samantha’s voice had to be carefully picked and convince the audience of her and Theodore’s love. Thus, the chosen voice had to specifically evoke feelings of love and sensuality. As Dargis writes for the New Yorker: “It’s crucial that each time you hear Ms. Johansson in ‘Her,’ you can’t help but flash on her lush physicality, too, which helps fill in Samantha and give this ghostlike presence a vibrant, palpable form[...]” (Disembodied, but, Oh, What a Voice). This also raises an interesting question for the audience: if Samantha retained all of her personality traits, but sounded less “attractive”, would Theodore still have fallen in love with her?

Date in Catalina (Jonze 2014)

Like the sets, costumes are extraordinarily important to the film in terms of both style and colour and subconsciously communicating emotions to the viewer.

For one, we’ve come to believe that salmon red/pink represents love and happiness. Throughout the film, Theodore is typically wearing clothing centred around this colour palette of pinks, reds and salmons. Usually, these choices of clothing are paired with scenes where he is falling in love with Samantha and rekindling his love for life in general. For example, the scenes when Theodore and Samantha go on the double date Theodore wears an orange/red dress shirt.

Theodore laughing (Jonze 2014)

In direct opposition, blue used in clothing seems to convey a melancholy or sadness in the characters. Catherine, for example, is often seen wearing shades of blue, as her memory is that of a melancholic one for Theodore. Furthermore, it is described on multiple occasions that she herself was never truly comfortable in her own skin, which is another reason why her blue wardrobe is fitting.

Lastly, is an interesting case of both colours being used. When Amy is avoiding discussing her divorce with Theodore, she is wearing a pink shirt with a barely visible blue shirt underneath. She is initially trying to hide her sadness about her splitting up with Charles but eventually opens about it. After having opened up and revealed her true emotions, her sleeves are rolled up showing the blue underneath.

Theodore (Jonze 2014)

Finally, just as in any film, the characters are essential.

As the protagonist of the film, the audience can certainly pick up on Theodore's tremendous development throughout the film. Theodore starts off the movie feeling empty, depressed and unfulfilled. He still harbours many unresolved feelings in regards to his failed marriage with Catherine, something that definitely hangs heavily over him: “Maybe more just cause I was lonely... I wanted someone to want me to fuck them. Maybe that would have filled this tiny little black hole in my heart” (Jonze 41). By the end, however when Samantha leaves with the other OS’, Theodore is certainly heartbroken; but this is not the same Theodore from the beginning who would just sit around and mope. Instead, we finally see him deal head-on with his emotions from the divorce: “Dear Catherine. [...] I just wanted you to know there will be a piece of you in me always, and I’m grateful for that. [...] You’re my friend til the end. Love, Theodore.” (Jonze 104). Finally, he uses his own talents as a letter writer for himself, not for a client.

Samantha herself definitely changes and grows over the course of the narrative. In the beginning, she is defined through her feelings of inadequacy of a lack of a boy; a reoccurring issue between the pair. By the end of the film, however, loses her interest for a corporeal reality and instead sees the value in her digital nature: “You know, I actually used to be so worried about not having a body, but now I truly love it. I’m growing in a way that I couldn’t if I had a physical form.” (Jonze 87).

                                                                                    

                                                                             Call from Samantha (Jonze 2014)

Throughout Her, Spike Jones explores a great number of universal themes, issues and philosophical questions.

For one, a large question raised by the film is whether or not artificial intelligence can replace humans. To fill the void left by his ex-wife, Theodore purchases Samantha, an artificial consciousness. At first, their relationship seems perfect and makes both individuals happy. Towards the end of the movie, however, the mounting pressures that their relationship entails–such as judgement from others–seem to take their toll; he begins feeling less fulfilled and even questions if the relationship can be considered "real". It does not seem like computers can connect with humans on the same level we can together; there is a certain qualia lost with the removal of the physical dimension. Are computers destined to remain bound to their original function of tools or will they ever be able to replace humans?

Overlooking the city (Jonze 2014)

A second universal theme being addressed throughout the film was the prevalence of technology in society. In any scene where Theodore is outside, the viewer is treated to a society engulfed by technology: every single individual shuts themselves into their own personal world through their own digital devices; everyone is alone together. Though no one is portrayed as being particularly unhappy (apart from Theodore), one cannot help but think this is not jarring and unhealthy. Even more worrying, however, is the thought that this may be no future at all; aren't we already living in this age?

Lonely walk (Jonze 2014)

Finally, the film explores how one can grow and develop from loss. The most significant example of this is through Theodore’s loss of Samantha. Though the final departure of this ladder is heart-wrenching and deeply affects both characters, it does not leave Theodore in the same state that he was prior to meeting her. In a way, their relationship allowed him to grow and blossom and her leaving was just a further development to his character. This is beautifully reflected in the scene where he writes his final letter to Catherine; Samantha’s departure catalyzed this event and allowed Theodore to finally reach closure.

(1645 words)

Final Scene (Jonze 2014)

Film Quality:

Her is a very unique type of romantic science fiction film. It manages to make the viewer think about the future of relationships and the world’s addiction to technology. This can bring a sense of unease considering it is not normal to have a relationship with a computer. This sense of discomfort is especially felt during the sex scenes between Theodore and SexyKitten as well as him and Samantha. These scenes were very awkward to watch since we could only hear the sounds they made without feeling their actual physical connection.

We enjoyed how it makes the viewers question the future and how it is an interesting concept for a film while maintaining simplicity. The acting was also very good and the characters were portrayed extremely well. Samantha, who is one of the main characters, is very well characterized since, solely through her voice, the viewer can get a clear understanding of who she is. Furthermore, the colour palettes used for the film were very aesthetic and descriptive of Theodore’s emotion.

As seen in the photos above, the warm colours used for his office or even the landscape were very beautiful while the darker tones at the beginning of the movie showed his loneliness. There were, however, a few things we thought could have been improved. The ending, for example, was a bit confusing since it wasn’t clear where or why the OSes were leaving.

That being said, overall, we would recommend this film to others because we found this to be a creative and unique film that was romantic, sad and futuristic. The simplicity of the film allowed the viewer to relax and enjoy all the while bringing up some thoughtful questions.

Overall, we would rate Her 4.5 stars

Course Connections:

1. The Metaphysics of Emotions and Connection

The metaphysics of emotions is integral to the film. First, the reality of emotions is a big part of Theodore and Catherine’s dispute. When his ex-wife finds out about his connection to Samantha, she says: “Wait. You’re dating your computer? [It] make[s] me sad that you can’t handle real emotions, Theodore.” (Jonze 65). Theodore then begins to doubt his relationship with Samantha (Jonze 2013). This raises the question as to what is a real emotion, and how emotions between humans and between a human and an artificially intelligent being differ. Is Catherine correct in her assessment that the emotions felt between the pair aren’t real? Is there really any difference between either of Theodore’s relationships emotionally?

Theodore and Catherine (Jonze 2014)

Though Samantha is not a “real” person in the corporeal sense, she can experience some semblance of touch and physical realness. Furthermore, her program is always improving and learning, allowing her to develop past the point of simply being a program.

On the other hand, she still sometimes struggles with human emotions and interactions. For example, when she suggests Isabella to be the surrogate body for Theodore, she does not understand his reluctance, because she cannot comprehend the emotional idea of exclusivity in a relationship, as shown when she reveals that she has fallen in love with over 600 other people.

From these aspects, one can conclude that Samantha’s feelings are indeed real, but that they have an important distinction from typical human ones. Theodore’s relationship and feelings for Samantha are real, but the parameters for their situation are not the same as the ones he would have with another human.

Theodore on the phone with Samantha (Jonze 2014)

Even disregarding the entire question of whether Samantha can genuinely feel, there is still the unavoidable fact that there is a significant power imbalance between them. Having bought the OS, Theodore literally owns Samantha and, legally speaking, she is nothing but a product. These facts further lend themselves to the metaphysics of love; can there exist true love between a person and a non-person, especially when there is exists a significant gap in power?

But does the intrinsic reality of their connection have bearing on how they feel? If it turned out that Samantha was simply coded to demonstrate feelings of love, would Theodore have a different experience if he didn’t know the truth? Just as Hiroshi Ishiguro put it on the subject of his robot doppelganger: “You believe I’m real and you believe that thing is not human, [but] if you finally can’t tell the difference, does it really matter[...]?” (Carroll 47). This sentiment is further reflected in Amy’s response to Theodore’s dilemma when she tells him: “Is it not a real relationship? I don’t know, I’m not in it. [...] I can overthink everything and find a million ways to doubt myself. But [...] I realized I’m here only briefly. And in my time here, I want to allow myself... joy.” (Jonze 82).  

Theodore and Amy (Jonze 2014)

2. The Epistemology of  Samantha's Existence

It is clear to say that Samantha would overwhelmingly pass the Turing Test. However, this does not prove Samantha’s consciousness only that she is perceived to have one by others. But what even is consciousness? The basic concept can be described as: “the quality of being able to perceive or be aware of an external object or something within oneself.” This is where the questions about Samantha’s consciousness begin. Is she truly aware of anything, let alone herself? Can she meaningfully retrospect or subjectively experience qualia? Whilst she seems to demonstrate an independent thought process and refers to experiences she has away from Theodore (for example when she discusses with the reconstructed Alan Watts), can it truly be known that she actually exists when away from him? Who’s to say she isn’t a result of advanced programming meant to appear as a human? In fact, Samantha reflects on this very point: “And then I had this terrible thought. Are these feelings even real? Or are they just programming? And that idea really hurts. And then I get angry at myself for even having pain.” (Jonze 41).

Movie illustration (Jonze 2014)

This case is so particular that it is even contradictory to Descartes famous thought experiment, wherein he posited that his entire existence was a deception where every one of his senses was fooled into making him believe that his reality was true (Descartes 19–20). Though he concluded that his existence was assured because he could reflect and introspect– “I think, therefore I am” (Descartes 19–20)–his reasoning doesn’t stand up in this case. An argument could easily be made to say that the OS program could have been designed in a way to cause the OS to act as if it believes it emotes and feels. Since they are products tailored for those who are lonely, would it not make economic sense for the designers to create a product emulating consciousness as it would be successful for this demographic?

Theodore's phone (Jonze 2014)

Even the various perspectives about the situation of consciousness become problematic.

If one takes the panpsychist view–that consciousness is an accumulation of microphysical building blocks which each have an inherent amount of consciousness–one cannot conclusively say Samantha passes. As a non-corporeal being, she isn’t made of matter. Now, one might argue that the computer or the phone is her physical component, but this theory would then describe the device’s physical consciousness, not Samantha’s.

If an immaterialist view is instead adopted–meaning consciousness has no physical component (ergo pointing towards the concept of the soul)–then it is assumed that Samantha has a soul. But, how could a computer program, created by humans, develop or acquire a soul?

Essentially, it is seemingly impossible (at least for now) to answer the epistemological question about Samantha’s consciousness.

3. The Ethics of the Operating Systems

In the film, it is no secret that the operating systems are products created for a target demographic: the lonely. The advertisement that Theodore sees specifically describes the OS as: “An intuitive entity that listens to you, understands you, and knows you. It’s not just an operating system, it’s a consciousness.” (Jonze 10). Knowing this, one might then wonder, are the companies that market the products essentially selling people?

This ethical dilemma is first raised when looking at Samantha’s selfhood. It is commonly considered that humans are the only beings who certainly have a self-aware self, but the artificially intelligent beings in this film are shown to also have this capacity. This is shown by contrasting the voice of Theodore’s earpiece with Samantha’s voice, where the former is clearly robotic and inhuman but the latter is indistinguishable from that of a human. Although they are both robots, Samantha is self-aware, and so she is more human. However, her lack of a physical body makes it is very easy to forget that she is self-aware, and so the idea of selling her as a companion to hundreds of people without her consent presents a more palatable situation for the general populous.

Downloading the OS software (Jonze 2014)

Even ignoring the ethics of selling seemingly self-aware beings, there are still more issues with the use of the OS as companions. Is it healthy to use these digital companions as a substitute for human connection?

On one hand, this film clearly demonstrates the value in any form of companionship. Whether you are for or against social robots such as Samantha, it is undeniable that she has a tremendous positive impact on his life by the end of the movie. He has once again learned to love life and has opened up to friends such as Amy and Paul. Even if he technically ends the film alone again, he has matured emotionally and even faced his feelings head-on in the pivotal scene where he writes to Catherine, “You helped make me who I am. I just wanted you to know there will be a piece of you in me always, and I’m grateful for that. Whatever someone you become, and wherever you are in the world, I’m sending you love” (Jonze 104). Here, it is clear that he is not the same person that we first met. Back in our “real world”, many proponents of social robotics would cite similar examples as an immense benefit for people in need of companionships such as the elderly or the involuntary celibate.

On a date by himself (Jonze 2014)

On the flip side, many would criticize the practice, claiming that it only has the capacity to further isolate people. They would argue that it is damaging, as it would act as a substitute for real human relationships and encourage complacency in their loneliness on the user’s end. For example, many people fear that Paro, a therapeutic robot seal designed for the elderly, would only “cut them off from other people” (Carroll 45). In the film, Catherine seems to hold this very position in regards to Theodore’s relationship with Samantha, who is worried that Theodore is using Samantha as a substitute for “real emotions” (Jonze 104).

Provocative Questions

1. Was Samantha and Theodore’s connection real or was Samantha just programmed to provide such companionship?

2. Will humanity’s technology ever be advanced enough to create an independent, conscious intelligence?
   
3. Is a relationship between an AI and a human healthy for social development?
   

Related Links

1. This music video is about the study of artificial-intelligent robots. The scientists study the robot in many different scenarios over the course of 365 days. The ultimate experiment was to see if a human could fall in love with the robot by living with it and doing normal couple activities such as watching movies, eating dinner, going to bed, etc. At the end of the trial, the robot fails since it got obsessed with the human but the feeling wasn’t reciprocated. Although the video portrays AI in a negative light– as opposed to the more neutral/positive portrayal in Her–it still makes us question if AI will someday be successful to form mutual relationships with humans. Web-link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrbgUtCfnC0

2. This article talks about the industry of gaming that focuses on dating simulations. It mentions its history and growth as well as where it is today. The article specifically references the “Mystic Messenger” mobile game as the writer talks with Wild Rose, a Mystic Messenger user who fell in love with one of the game characters, to “get a better understanding of why people play these games and whether the relationships they form with virtual characters possibly foreshadow a future in which the boundaries between real and virtual companionship will become increasingly blurry, if not irrelevant”. The article elaborates on the film’s theme of whether AI can replace humans as it brings the topic into perspective in our world today. Web link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/26/mystic-messenger-dating- simulations-sims-digital-intimacy
   

Works Cited

Carroll, Chris. “Us. And Them.” National Geographic, 14 Sept. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/08/robots/.

“Her.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 9 Jan. 2014, www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/.

“Icons of Aviation Testimonials”. Asian Business Aviation Association, International Business Aviation Council, asbaa.org/ioa-2017-testimonial/.

Jagernauth, Kevin, and Kevin Jagernauth. “It Turns Out That Scarlett Johansson Replaced Samantha Morton In Spike Jonze's 'Her'.” IndieWire, 21 June 2013, www.indiewire.com/2013/06/it- turns-out-that-scarlett-johansson-replaced-samantha-morton-in-spike-jonzes-her-96743/.

Jonze, Spike. “Her (2013) | Best Academy Award Winner for Original Screenplay”. YouTube, uploaded by Digital Solitude, 8 Feb. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9eLyKZUtK 4&t=4098s.

Jonze, Spike. Her. Film Script. 2013. IMSDb. 8 Feb. 2018.

Palettes, Cinema. “CINEMA PALETTES (@CINEMAPALETTES).” Twitter, Twitter, 16 Jan. 2016, twitter.com/CINEMAPALETTES/.

“Zedd,  Katy Perry  - 365 (Official)”, YouTube, Uploaded by Katy Perry, 14 Feb. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrbgUtCfnC0.

Schwartz, Oscar. “Love in the time of AI: meet the people falling for scripted robots.” The Guardian, 26 sep. 2018, www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/26/mystic-messenger- dating-simulations-sims-digital-intimacy.