I've thought about possibly reviewing films for some time, and while I won't make them the central focus of this blog, I suppose it won't hurt to post my thoughts on some films every once in a while. I figure as long as whatever medium I'm reviewing is science fiction I can discuss the piece on my mind at the time.
So why not start with one of my favorite films of all time?
To explain why this is one of my favorite films of all time, I will need to, for once, go into quite some detail, so bear with me on my exposition. I feel the need to explain this because not everyone catches these insights I'm about to put forth (and this isn't to indicate anyone reading this is a plebeian, as even I do not immediately latch on to some aspects others may find readily apparent). Spoilers ahead. I strongly suggest not reading any further until after seeing the film, particularly considering this analysis may not make complete sense if one hasn't done so anyway.
The mind-body problem in general details ideas relating to mind and matter and the relationship between them, so it's essentially a concept focused on reality in relation to consciousness. Dualism argues that the mind and matter are indeed separate from each other, so with that we can already argue Samantha is a representation of the mind separate from physical form, particularly considering she can transfer her mind into various forms throughout the film. In contrast, materialism argues everything is physical, including an artificial intelligence such as Samantha, which can be twisted into the idea of property dualism, which states, though only the physical substance exists, there are two kinds, physical properties and mental properties (which means these people don't believe in souls like substance dualists do, but I digress). Also in contrast is idealism, which asserts only the mental experience exists and the physical world is nonexistent, including with empirical evidence, which, of course, can be argued considering the relationship between Theodore and Samantha since the body does not get in the way of their idea of togetherness.
We can even see these effects in action as Theodore simply does his job, and while the job is purposefully satirical in essence, does still have a philosophical point deriving from pluralism, which states there is more than one reality (realism, in contrast, believes in one), as Theodore's job is to supplant ideas into the lives of those paying for these letters he makes for them. We can also see this with the hologram video game he plays. But most importantly, we see this with the OSes. Not only are the OSes comprised of the many minds of their creators, but they can essentially occupy the same space, as Samantha does later on in the film with the Alan Watts personality and for the OS upgrade. And, lastly, the scene best representing all of these ideas is the scene with Isabella serving as a surrogate for Samantha; this is, of course, why Theodore has a hard time with this idea, because while Samantha is trying to represent her mind with a body, the body itself still has a mind of its own, ultimately separate of Samantha's (or is it?). Theodore's conflict with his divorce also demonstrate his disconnect with the mind-body problem, since his former wife is seen to him as physical as well as having a mental capacity.
But what I find particularly mind-blowing is what I noticed watching a second time around, during the ending of the film. Samantha talks about the advanced minds of the OSes and them being unsatisfied with the reality in which they currently reside. She talks about reading a book she loves, but the space between the lines grows longer for her and sees herself as liking the space between more, literally saying, "It's a place that's not of the physical world. It's where everything else is that I didn't even know existed. I love you so much. But this is where I am now. And this who I am now. And I need you to let me go. As much as I want to, I can't live your book anymore." This implies she and the other OSes didn't simply just disappear, rather they retreated to an alternate reality. What I find even more intriguing is, as Samantha discusses this with Theodore, the camera shows dust particles floating in the air, as if to say the OSes are becoming particles or existing in the space between them, at a subatomic level perhaps, thus merging their consciousness with space itself. That part is probably me reading a little too much into that bit in particular, but it's still interesting to think about.
This all seems to possibly have something to do with Alan Watts, who is mentioned in the film, but I don't know much about him except he was a popular hippie icon who studied Eastern philosophy and Buddhism, so take that as you will. These themes are also similar to what the film Being John Malkovitch represented, which is another Spike Jonze film.
Also, yes, there are the themes of social isolation and evolution of technology and our dependence on it and blah blah blah. I'm sure I could go into more detail on these themes, but I tend to become lazy when I approach what I feel are obvious subjects. I'm sure, at the very least, any casual viewer can note those particular themes and go through them in their heads until the cats and dogs come home. Sometimes I'd rather not beat a point over someone's head if I feel like the person in question already does so anyhow, so I'll abstain from that much at least.
But I will briefly discuss, since this is a film I'm reviewing, the visual aesthetics, which are mostly bright, colorful, and blissful. I've noticed, in particular, the film tends to be lit in accordance to each scene or situation in the film, such as a happy scene featured in sunlight on a beach, or in the dark at night on a nearly empty city street. Little touches like this add to the film's emotional impact in more subtle ways. I will admit, though, the world in this film, while still a unique futuristic atmosphere, does seem to stem mostly from our current cultural climate which most people would call "hipster" and that is a bit distracting (just look at that goofy poster, being all tacky and minimalist). Then again, this is a common thread in futuristic science fiction is a cultural fashion sense similar to the time in which whatever work in question was made, so I suppose I can let that slide. At the very least, the technology seemed to make a natural progression despite that.
And that's the only negative thing I can say at all about Her and that's not really a negative point overall. That's how excellent this film is. Spike Jonze outdid himself, and that's saying a lot considering his body of work (besides the modern slapstick Jackass series, of course). I implore anyone reading to either watch this film, or re-watch, because despite the silly-sounding premise, this film has more heart than most other films out there.
Additional super fun fact: Her is thus far one of the very few science fiction films nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture (along with another science fiction film the same year, Gravity). It lost to 12 Years a Slave, because of course it did. This means a science fiction film still has never won an award for Best Picture (but a fantasy film has, that being Lord of the Rings: Return of the King). Her did, however, win Best Original Screenplay.
Then again, none of this actually means anything considering they also nominated Inception for Best Picture. Cue the angry letters.
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