Her is a film at once deeply strange and strangely familiar. Theodore Twombly, a lonely man who writes other people’s love letters for a living, refuses to move on after separating from his wife. But when he discovers his new operating system, Samantha, has a playful personality, he falls in love with her disembodied presence. Director Spike Jonze immerses the audience in a beautiful, melancholy future that requires surprisingly little imagination to believe, since so many of us already are in devoted relationships with our digital devices. Although philosophical, the film refrains from moralizing; we watch without judgment as Theodore and Samantha flirt, get jealous and even have sex. In the end, it’s not an allegory or a lesson, just a love story.
Should You See It? Yes; it will open your heart and mind. —R.K.
Viewed at Moolah Theatre & Lounge
