''Her''
by Sarybel Meléndez
The movie Her presents a unique relationship between a man and his unusual girlfriend, which happens to be an operating system. Theodore is a normal man who works at a company writing letters to people. He just got past a break-up with his wife, and is about to divorce. He goes to work, checks his emails without any interest in them, and even tries to talk to different women at night before going to bed. His life is really sad and empty, until he meets Samantha. Samantha is an operating system Theodore purchased with the purpose to help him with his work, emails, and other tasks. As they get closer and closer, Samantha becomes interested in experiencing what it would be like to be a human. Theodore becomes fascinated with Samantha and offers to show her what it’s like to be a human. They fall in love and have a relationship full of fun and romantic moments, as well as arguments and significant differences between them.
The aspects of mise-en-scene are very simple. The setting is a very futuristic one. The viewer can clearly see that they live in a very advanced, technological world. The buildings, trains, houses, and even video games are very advanced. The use and dependency on technology is seen all the time. This is very important because the movie is about Theodore’s relationship with a really advanced device.
Their costumes are really simple. Since the movie takes place in a very futuristic city, it wouldn’t be surprising if the costumes were crazy and ‘‘weird’’, but in this case, they are not. They are quite simple. Men wear mostly high-waisted pants and women wear dresses. This shows a sense of simplicity and sophistication and doesn’t distract the viewer from what’s happening in the movie.
by Sarybel Meléndez
The movie Her presents a unique relationship between a man and his unusual girlfriend, which happens to be an operating system. Theodore is a normal man who works at a company writing letters to people. He just got past a break-up with his wife, and is about to divorce. He goes to work, checks his emails without any interest in them, and even tries to talk to different women at night before going to bed. His life is really sad and empty, until he meets Samantha. Samantha is an operating system Theodore purchased with the purpose to help him with his work, emails, and other tasks. As they get closer and closer, Samantha becomes interested in experiencing what it would be like to be a human. Theodore becomes fascinated with Samantha and offers to show her what it’s like to be a human. They fall in love and have a relationship full of fun and romantic moments, as well as arguments and significant differences between them.
The aspects of mise-en-scene are very simple. The setting is a very futuristic one. The viewer can clearly see that they live in a very advanced, technological world. The buildings, trains, houses, and even video games are very advanced. The use and dependency on technology is seen all the time. This is very important because the movie is about Theodore’s relationship with a really advanced device.
Their costumes are really simple. Since the movie takes place in a very futuristic city, it wouldn’t be surprising if the costumes were crazy and ‘‘weird’’, but in this case, they are not. They are quite simple. Men wear mostly high-waisted pants and women wear dresses. This shows a sense of simplicity and sophistication and doesn’t distract the viewer from what’s happening in the movie.
The acting is phenomenal. The two main characters of the movie are the ones that are seen most of the time. Phoenix’s acting really captivates the viewer and makes the person feel what he is feeling. He is a very frustrating and complex character who doesn’t talk much because of the issues he deals with. However, the way he acts, his eye contact, and sad face expressions are enough to communicate how he feels. Phoenix does a great job at portraying Theodore’s complex emotions. Although Johansson isn’t physically in the movie, her acting is amazing. It’s pretty hard to communicate feelings only through a voiceover on an entire movie. Ms. Johansson is never seen in the movie, but she is present in every moment of it. The way she talks to Theodore makes it seem like she is not just a machine, it feels real (perhaps that’s the reason why Theodore falls in love with her). Her ability to talk and communicate feelings through voiceovers is absolutely amazing and gives the movie a unique feel that makes the whole story believable.
The movie was beautifully shot. It is full of beautiful shots of the futuristic city. It gives the viewer a sense of what it would be like to live in a city like that, full of beautiful buildings and really modern apartments. The movie also does a great job at showing how their relationship evolves throughout time. Although she is not physically with him, it is clear they have a good time together. They go places, have lunch, go out with friends, and even have intimacy. Their love becomes intense in a very short period of time. However, they break up with the same rapidness as which they fell in love with each other. Their relationship does not last long, and they start facing problems before they even get a chance to really explore their love. Although this is to be expected (since she is a device, not a human), the story is still a pretty sad one. The way they show their love and how passionate they are about each other is really captivating and wonderful. It makes the viewer feel how intense their love is, but still wonder how is it possible to fall in love with a device. When they decide to end their relationship, although it feels like it’s the right thing to do, the story is so moving that it has the ability to make the viewer feel bad for Theodore. The story is a really soulful and different. You don’t see people falling in love with operating systems everyday.
The movie was beautifully shot. It is full of beautiful shots of the futuristic city. It gives the viewer a sense of what it would be like to live in a city like that, full of beautiful buildings and really modern apartments. The movie also does a great job at showing how their relationship evolves throughout time. Although she is not physically with him, it is clear they have a good time together. They go places, have lunch, go out with friends, and even have intimacy. Their love becomes intense in a very short period of time. However, they break up with the same rapidness as which they fell in love with each other. Their relationship does not last long, and they start facing problems before they even get a chance to really explore their love. Although this is to be expected (since she is a device, not a human), the story is still a pretty sad one. The way they show their love and how passionate they are about each other is really captivating and wonderful. It makes the viewer feel how intense their love is, but still wonder how is it possible to fall in love with a device. When they decide to end their relationship, although it feels like it’s the right thing to do, the story is so moving that it has the ability to make the viewer feel bad for Theodore. The story is a really soulful and different. You don’t see people falling in love with operating systems everyday.