Her (2013)

In the not so distant future, Her tells the story of a lonely writer and his quest for connection. Theodore (Phoenix) develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.

This system is advertised as the world's first artificially intelligent operating system. It's not just an operating system, it's a consciousness with real thoughts, emotions and feelings. The more they talk, the more Theodore finds himself drawn to Samantha, the voice behind the OS. They seem perfect for each other and quickly start to fall in love.

Her is not your typical love story. Mixed with futuristic science fiction elements, some of it may seem strange and unusual. But the deeper you look at it, the more you see that this future isn't that far off. In fact, it has a lot to say about relationships today.

Today, it often feels like we are having a relationship with technology. We no longer meet in person and have long developed conversations. Internet communication and texting have seemingly taken over our lives to the point where we are quite literally communicating with technology (Siri anyone?). Is this form of communication through technology any less significant than in person communication? Her does an excellent job at exploring these ideas.

Besides the symbolism with technology, there's also many parallels to long distant relationships. Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson do an an excellent job at making this relationship seem believable.


Since Samantha is just a voice, and not an actual person, it could have gone awry. But these characters help highlight all the complexities and nuances of modern relationships.

Relationships are an opportunity to learn about ourselves and grow as people. Love is a universal concept. Even though Theodore and Samantha's relationship is a bit unusual, it still possess the same common traits as regular relationships which makes it even more relatable to the audience.

Funny, awkward, and incredibly sincere, Her is one of the best films of 2013. It's a heartfelt look at the state of relationships today while also looking at the possibilities for relationships in the future.

(8/10)