Her (2013)

Very few romance movies have reflected on the future of human relationships quite like Spike Jonze's sensational sci-fi romance.

Directed by: Spike Jonze

Cinematography by: Hoyte Van Hoytema

Country: United States

Genre: Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi

You wouldn’t expect to see the words “visionary” and “romance film” appear next to each other, but that’s exactly what Spike Jonze’s 2013 sci-fi romantic drama Her is. Even though the film takes place in a sprawling near-future Los Angeles, the set pieces are almost always relegated to the background. Jonze instead focuses on the intimate and the immediate in this character-driven story, meditating on the possibilities of love and relationships in the modern age, and whether another human is actually required for social fulfillment.

Her follows a fairly general boy-meets-girl outline, but the specifics - girl is actually an AI operating system - and Jonze’s incredible storytelling, elevates this convention to a whole other league, allowing the film to tackle some rather prescient themes and cerebral concepts in a way that feels intensely personal.

As the movie ends the audience is left to reflect on what the future holds for us and the relationships we’ll form.
Will AI help us to develop emotionally as human beings?
Will it help to bring us closer together or will it make us more isolated?
Will AI truly have our own interests as individuals at heart, to grow and to learn, or will it merely repeat back to us what we want to hear?
And moreover, how will these endless interactions affect AI?

Distributed by: Warner Bros.