Just got back from Her. That was absolutely wonderful. May have cracked my top five films. Definitely cracks my top ten. Forgive me if I spew a few words about it in reaction.
In a word, the film was refreshing. Obviously, given my own thoughts and ideas on AI, to see it reflected on screen like that was something that made the story really hit home. The best part was how Theodore's friends reacted to Samantha. It wasn't with revulsion, it wasn't with shock. With the exception of the ex-wife it was something that maybe gave them a little pause until it was accepted almost instantly. The scene with the child I loved especially.
It really showed the humanity of AI built like that and as that's something I've also explored with Erin Toyota again that really hit home. I call it all refreshing because it didn't give you the usual pitfalls of stories like that - The AIs didn't conspire to take over the world, Samantha didn't become clingy or jealous to a psychotic extreme, and very little time was spent on whether or not the relationship was truly that "unnatural". It was just so nice to see a movie without that cynicism that usually accompanies this subject - again, something I try to do when I write for or about Erin Toyota. Trust me, there are pages and pages of notes and little paragraphs and explanations of how she works on my hard drive somewhere.
Really, the movie had heart, heart not normally scene in movies that try to handle this subject matter and that is why it really struck a chord in my eyes. As you said, it was a movie about a relationship that ends with a breakup because of irreconcilable differences and it was presented in a sweet and moving manner. What the movie really shows is how much we can change in a short amount of time and it did an excellent job of it.
I also really, really loved the ending. He and his friend sitting on the rooftop, trying to deal with the loss of their friends together. It didn't end with a melodramatic kiss or anything, it was just like the film itself - wonderfully contemplative and quiet in its own way.
Excellent stuff. Just excellent.
It really showed the humanity of AI built like that and as that's something I've also explored with Erin Toyota again that really hit home. I call it all refreshing because it didn't give you the usual pitfalls of stories like that - The AIs didn't conspire to take over the world, Samantha didn't become clingy or jealous to a psychotic extreme, and very little time was spent on whether or not the relationship was truly that "unnatural". It was just so nice to see a movie without that cynicism that usually accompanies this subject - again, something I try to do when I write for or about Erin Toyota. Trust me, there are pages and pages of notes and little paragraphs and explanations of how she works on my hard drive somewhere.
Really, the movie had heart, heart not normally scene in movies that try to handle this subject matter and that is why it really struck a chord in my eyes. As you said, it was a movie about a relationship that ends with a breakup because of irreconcilable differences and it was presented in a sweet and moving manner. What the movie really shows is how much we can change in a short amount of time and it did an excellent job of it.
I also really, really loved the ending. He and his friend sitting on the rooftop, trying to deal with the loss of their friends together. It didn't end with a melodramatic kiss or anything, it was just like the film itself - wonderfully contemplative and quiet in its own way.
Excellent stuff. Just excellent.
