“Sometimes I look at people and make myself try and feel them as more than just a random person walking by. I imagine how deeply they’ve fallen in love, or how much heartbreak they’ve all been through.”
I loved how this movie was futuristic but not to the point where it became unrelatable. We are constantly glued to our phones. We are, strangely, the most disconnected we’ve ever been as a society. The people who watch the movie and immediately disregard it with comments like, “this is so dumb, he is falling in love with a computer. Gross.” Are completely missing the point of the movie. I thought the same thing when I first heard the idea, then I gave it a chance.
“Even in this world where you’re seemingly getting everything you need and having this nice life, there’s still loneliness and longing and isolation and disconnection.” – Spike Jonze discussing Her
It delves into something so much bigger and deeper than that. It felt so familiar to be Theodore at the beginning. The brokenhearted shell of the person he was after losing what he thought was the love of his life. Starting a relationship with an OS, feeling “real” feelings for her, rediscovering the love of life in the smallest things; going to the beach, people watching, reflecting on his ex-wife, being present in the moment, laughing. He slowly begins to heal. The moment he meets his ex-wife to sign the divorce papers and just before she puts the pen to the paper they both stop and he looks away, imagining a series of happy memories of them together flash before his eyes and they both wince with pain that they couldn’t make their love work. That it really is over, the cord is cut. Then, when Theodore begins to question whether or not this is real love he is experiencing for his OS, he feels foolish and embarrassed and starts to pull away from her. Only for him to confide in his absolutely wonderful friend that has such great advice, I still think about it now, many months later. Particularly, “we are only here briefly, and in this moment I want to allow myself joy.”
I loved the cinematography, it was wonderfully created and aesthetically pleasing in every shot. And the part when he wakes up on the beach to his OS, Samantha, playing a song “to capture this moment.” I swear, I melted in my chair… perfect scene.
Art Therapy with Kimberly 