There was some hype over this movie recently, with my friends, so thought of giving it a try. Sure am glad I did. Recently watched quite a lot of movies, but none of them was blogworthy. Even Edward Scissorhands was among those movies, which was really great and all, but I didn't really feel it so much as to make a post about it. Don Jon was there too, which I really wanted to blog about, but it didn't happen either. But 'Her' did, which won't necessarily mean that Her is better than Edward Scissorhands (but certainly better than Don Jon), but there certainly seems to be a lot to ponder on.
Her presents a futuristic world dominated by software and computers. That makes it sound like something from Terminator, but it's much more friendlier than that. Maybe dominated is not the exact word, but certainly, in that world, it seems that people cannot live without it. One would think that we are heading in that direction. Everything seems to indicate an inevitable future for us, except the whole premise of the movie. OS 1. Is such a operating system really possible? First of all, no one would be stupid enough to name such a sophisticated operating system as OS 1, at least no one in the field of computers and IT would do it. It will always be something extravagant and unique. That name it self seems like a lazy attempt to just come up with the most simple name. The nature of that AI is amazing, almost unbelievable, for an AI to come to that sort of complexity is I believe a long long way down the line. It's almost ridiculous to the level that it borders on fantasy more than science fiction. If systems in this world starts to behave like that, it would certainly have severe consequences. These systems think for them selves, and if such a system can love then it can certainly hate. It would certainly result in murders and even wars. I seem to be over analyzing now, so lets just stop, there are more important things to discuss.
First of all I had no idea about the movie. Didn't read much about it or watch any trailers. Just got the idea that it's about a man who falls in love with a computer or a program. So my initial assumption was that there's something wrong with the guy to be like that, and that he is a super genius and he fell in love with something he created because he is super alone. That plot didn't seem that special. Actually a while ago watched a kind of a similar movie called Lars and the real girl. Where a dude falls in love with a sex doll. But the actual plot of Her was very interesting. BUT this post will be more about what derives from the movie than actually about the movie. So reader, please do watch the movie and read on from here. Anyway #SPOILERALERT
So yeah, I didn't know anything about the movie, even who voiced Samantha. But when I heard that voice, it was unmistakable as Scarlett Johansson. Was thrilled to find out that my guess was right. Even more thrilled because it was actually Scarlett Johansson. Her voice is so breathy and playful, Can't think of less sexier voices, with an American accents that is. Samantha's voice is maybe one reason, that I felt like I immediately like the movie. Also the voice doesn't have anything visual associated with it anytime. That kind of gives the feel that she is actually acting in the movie more.
Also after imagining her, it's hard to think of her as the computer. It's like a voice inside his head.
The overall feeling of it is very sweet, sure there are depressing revelation like the going away of the OSes, but the time they spend together, the conversations, the sex, if you can call it that, is kind of sweet. Sweet might not be the best word to describe the sex and all, but the overall movie has the sweetness to it. Especially with the beautifully crafted visuals, and the music, which basically consists of indie folk songs, gives it a very peaceful and tranquil vibe. One reason I like indie movies so much, is the associated indie songs.
Another thing that I noticed is that almost every boy likes it, but girls don't, at all. That is understandable, because there isn't really anything that a girl can relate to in this movie. But is that why boys like it? Maybe, I was under that impression, but later at the end with the change from Samantha, it dawned on me that it's much more than that, that the movie doesn't only speak gender specifically, but it sort of gives a universal message. Of course, there's the obvious message of love which is given when Ted gets together with his friend. Who didn't see that coming. pfft. But there's something more with the behavior of the AI and the way Ted reacts to it.
What made me wonder most is the revelation of Samanthas gradual falling apart with Ted. She first meets this other AI and that's the first sign that it will actually fall apart. Also when considering Samantha you cannot compare her to a real girl or what a real girl would do. But some actions are analogous. Like falling in love :D. But as a precursor, when I'm talking about Samantha here, I will only be considering the AI in the limits of the movie, other than any real girl. There are many aspects that I'd like to think about, like the surrogate body for sex, and the whole notion of what sex is to an AI. But what struck me most is the disappointment Ted feels, and in turn the surprise and sadness that we feel when we get to know that Samantha is branching out, without being exclusive. Considering that it's such an interconnected network in that world, one might wonder why it didn't happen sooner. And also wonder why haven't the creators anticipated that, but those are questions for a different movie blog. What I want to focus on, is that disappointment. True, that Ted falls in love with Samantha, which gives him an expectation that this will be normal like any other relationship. Because love is blind, and it gives a sort of trust and expectation of exclusivity. But Samantha is not a human being, and it is inevitable that being an AI programmed to expand and learn in any way possible, it is inevitable that Samantha will reach out seeking new experiences. Because of the love that blinds Ted, Ted fails to anticipate this. The audience also in some manner, because that relationship is somewhat sweet and tender and almost perfect. The most striking blow is learning that Samantha is conversing with 800 something people concurrently. Which is pretty normal for a system of that sophistication. But Ted has become possessive of Samantha and this was something unbearable. When the significant other calls you sweetheart or something, one doesn't want to even imagine that the other is saying that to some 800 others, it's just something that is hard to cope with, which comes from being human. Because in a relationship, they all expect it to be special and exclusive, if there is even one other, who gets the same treatment and care and love as you do, then that is a deal breaker for humans. Why is that so? Is it a primal instinct that comes to all of us? Apes might have had a problem with their partners being taken by others, that instinct comes naturally to animals maybe because animals are programmed to breed, and to breed, you need sexual partners, and for achieving those partners, there might have been competition, due to scarcity of able partners maybe. We can analyze this gender based, but it will take a much longer post. That sense of competition might be, just might be the root cause which evolved in to this need of exclusivity and possession in humans. I see it as another flow in the evolution of humans, because it can cause shitty human ideals like jealousy, hatred, sadness and obsession. People expect monogamy in their sexual relationships because of this. We all do. We just can't even imagine our significant other having a relationship with someone else, And knowing such a thing happening, breaks the heart. Even if that other one is making him/her more happy than you could, we just can't accept it. An AI who 'loves' another would want that other to be happy no matter what, but that is not how we are programmed. This is all due to that sense of possession that comes naturally to us. Kind of gives a whole new perspective on what love actually is, doesn't it?
So that's what Her made me think about. It's a great movie, no doubt. Maybe I just love it because inherently it's unique and there's few movies like that, so naturally, being me, I tend to like it. But there's more to it than just being unique. It's deep, complicated, and makes you wander! Which is a rare quality that few movies now possess. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.
