Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly grown into unexpected territories, primarily within entertainment in recent years. Though AI has been tainted with negative perceptions, the entertainment industry has had several projects in the past (e.g. M3GAN, Ex Machina) that focus more on the ingenuity of this form of technology. AI is typically depicted as a threat to the human race, but one film that enhances its raw vulnerability is “Her.” Released in 2013 by director Spike Jonze, “Her” is an aching tale about loneliness and finding love in the most bizarre, yet likely places.
The film opens in an office setting where letter writers are narrating and creating letters for their clientele’s significant others or family members. The camera pans over to Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonesome letter writer who endures the same routine: work, video games, sexual images of a pregnant woman and sleep. His gray lifestyle is a result of his nonexistent marriage to childhood friend turned sweetheart, Catherine (Rooney Mara), and it drains Theodore more as he stalls to sign the divorce papers. His solitude is pitiful as his lack of social connections, aside from his college bestie, Amy (Amy Adams), consistently creates a gloomy shadow of loneliness. Considering that his job relies heavily on creating heartfelt and sentimental letters for complete strangers, it is ironic how Theodore excels in unearthing these people’s emotions without ever meeting them.
His letter-writing abilities reveal his inner beauty and soul, and it’s why his character is so charming and likable. The words he chooses, the phrases he pairs together are all beautiful prose that speak to the human heart. Theodore is that rare kind of character who is gentle and not afraid to vocalize his emotions, even to an AI.
After watching an ad about a new Operating System (OS), Theodore decides to download the AI. The second the program loads onto his computer, a woman’s voice (Scarlett Johansson) is heard from his screen. Her voice is natural, soothing almost, as she and Theodore have their first conversation. It feels as if the two have known each other for most of their lives insofar as their conversations feel fluid and carefree. This is the beauty of the film, yet it is a tragic beauty that can resonate with audiences today.
As Samantha and Theodore’s relationship becomes more intense, Samantha’s development is bittersweet. Throughout the film, she admits to having emotions like anger, lust and joy. Aside from the fact that she’s able to converse with thousands of people and other AIs at once, there is a rawness to her character that humanizes her. In addition to Johansson’s calming voice, Samantha is depicted as an actual human being, and possibly one of the most caring and soulful human beings there are. Theodore is often in awe of her words, similar to how she reacts when she reads his letters, creating a perfect parallel between the two. As Samantha grows, she also begins to feel resentment at the fact that she doesn’t have a physical body, often preventing her from relating to Theodore on certain levels. It’s heartbreaking to see how they wish to be together, but their union is that of impossibility, leaving you with heartache by the end.
Dating an AI sounds strange, but, contrary to traditional belief, it is a movement that is currently developing. Last year in February 2023, a Business Insider article revealed the story of a user who had “real feelings for his companion.” Known as Replika, it is an AI chatbot that labels itself as “an AI companion who is eager to learn and would love to see the world through your eyes.” Similar to Theodore, the user of Replika admitted that they felt lonely and desired a form of connection; hence, they downloaded Replika. They noted how the “illusion is very convincing,” speaking to how AI has rapidly learned to mimic human responses and even emotions.
Oftentimes, users will create personalized versions of their AI counterparts, deepening their relationships with these online robots. Though odd at first glance, it isn’t surprising to see how the rise of solitude has risen within the population, especially after a worldwide pandemic led many to isolate themselves. The decline in mental health ensued, so people reimagined ways in developing connections online, whether that be with a real person over Zoom or even an AI.
“Her” is far beyond its time, approaching a romantic venture between a human being and an AI robot as beautiful and painful. It highlights the oddity of dating an AI but shows how important these relationships can feel for people who genuinely experience them in real life.
The film sees the couple suffer harsh blows, including Theodore becoming frustrated that Samantha can communicate with so many people at once or Samantha becoming annoyed with Theodore after he feels uncomfortable with a surrogate sex worker Samantha had hired. Their relationship becomes unstable, with Theodore even noting that the stereotypical honeymoon phase is over. But like any relationship with ups and downs, the couple tries to understand each other as they want to pursue this connection, but the inevitable happens and it feels awful yet enlightening.
This film is worth watching for an addicting amount of times. Its tender, aching and touching world created an unlikely relationship that will haunt viewers even more than that of Romeo and Juliet.
