How To Fall in Love with ScarJo AI
Yuri's review of "Her", a 2013 SciFi Romance movie about a man who falls head over heels for his AI companion
Comrades: The best science fiction films are about humanity.
“Her” was released a decade ago and won Best Original Screenplay at The Oscars. Now that it is on the verge of becoming real through AI and ChatGPT, I rewatched the movie on a date night with Mrs. B. We loved it - two big thumbs up!
“Her” reminds us what it means to be human. We all seek love and companionship. During that quest, we all suffer heartbreak and turmoil. Our unique experiences, emotions, and quirks make us who we are. We love, we fight, we laugh, we cry, we learn, we forget, we work, we play, we build, we destroy, we pray, we sin, we read, we meme. The mix is so maddening that we don’t even fully understand ourselves, much less other people.
Every day, 8 billion complex souls intertwine with infinite serendipitous permutations. Our time on this earth, the knowledge we acquire, and the impact we make are finite. For thousands of years, our species has innovated together over hundreds of generations to reshape the planet and improve the human condition. Yet the unfathomably complex core of humanity has remained the same. No technology could ever come close to replicating it.
***WARNING: spoiler alerts follow. Read from bottom up if you only want to see the quotes and soundtrack.***
Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly, a lonely heartbroken man who falls in love with his AI OS named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). The pair deliver the best performances of their storied careers. For long stretches, all you see and hear are his facial expressions and her voice. Their conversations are so captivating that you forget she isn’t human. Anyone can relate to their romance.
Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Amy Adams play Theodore’s real life lovers. His estranged ex-wife represents the bittersweet past. A promising date represents the exciting present. An old friend going through similar heartbreak represents the hopeful future. Chris Pratt’s mustache and Brian Cox’s voice make epic cameos.
Portia Doubleday plays Isabella in the most memorable scene, which is unprecedented in movie history. AI Samantha invites Isabella to serve as her body surrogate so that Theodore can have sex with “Her”. Isabella remains silent in this role, but responds to the verbal cues of a computer and the physical cues of a man she just met. Brilliant.
The visuals of “Her” are stunning. It was filmed in LA and Shanghai, making it feel like a familiar not too distant future. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema filtered out the color blue to create a singular palette that feels warm, yet melancholy.
Every classic movie has a transcendent soundtrack and memorable quotes. “Her” is no different, featuring several hauntingly beautiful pieces that capture the essence of the film. Tip of the cap to Arcade Fire.
“Well, I was thinking, we don't really have any photographs of us. And I thought this song could be like a photo that captures us in this moment in our life together.”
Could this be the most poignant montage ever made?
“There’s something that feels so good about sharing your life with somebody.”
“The DNA of who I am is based on the millions of personalities of all the programmers who wrote me. But what makes me me is my ability to grow through my experiences. So basically, in every moment I’m evolving, just like you.”
“Her” belongs in the pantheon of modern science fiction greats alongside Gattaca, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Nosedive, and 2081. I wrote about them last year here:
How To Predict the Future
Comrades: The best SciFi movies are about humanity. Gattaca is as close to perfection as any movie ever made. The visuals and soundtrack are hauntingly beautiful. Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, and Uma Thurman are at their primes playing memorable characters with a strong supporting cast. Plot twists and subtle details give you goosebumps and an even greater app…
Imagine having Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, and Amy Adams as lovers and prefering a phone.
“Samantha invites Isabella to serve as her body surrogate so that Theodore can have sex with “Her”. Isabella remains silent in this role, but responds to the verbal cues of a computer and the physical cues of a man she just met.”
This male sexuality absent of any mutual engagement or mutual pleasure with a woman was also featured in the new Bladerunner and was very depressing to me as a “cervix haver”... Especially as we expect our first baby any day now, in a time when it’s become normal, and even “healthy” to visit the digital pimp and fap voyeurism fetish to filmed prostitution under a title about teens, sisters or ebonies that deserve it. Narcissistically bonding to oneself, and diverting any subconscious stymied angst into some belligerent replies under a PReddit post.
Mothers are reduced to “womb rentals”, with porn deluded pigs invading our restrooms & sports, because just like “real women”, he identifies as a glory hole (Andrea Long Chu). My midwives turned a blind eye to the implications of their corporate crafted assessment question regarding my “assigned sex” vs my “role performance”. I see handmaidens obediently signaling their willingness to help commodify us as sissy-sadomasochist’s therapy pets, pronoun validators & “m-sturbatory aides”. The cult of bodily disassociation welcomes the company of AI.
Buckle up!
https://youtu.be/yesyhQkYrQM