Her

Spike Jonze really captured modern loneliness back in 2013 with a romance story that feels more real every single year. You follow Joaquin Phoenix as a depressed writer named Theodore Twombly who accidentally falls in love with his new operating system. Scarlett Johansson provides the incredibly warm and human voice for the artificial intelligence named Samantha. I always tell my friends to watch this movie when they want to think about how technology changes our personal relationships. We get to watch Theodore walk around a slightly futuristic city with a tiny earpiece, isolating himself from the physical world while finding a surprisingly deep connection online. A structural analysis shows that every awkward conversation between the lonely human and his computer mirrors the universal struggle of trying to be vulnerable with a new partner.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema built a future that looks incredibly warm and inviting instead of cold and metallic. You immediately notice how the color red completely dominates the movie, specifically in the bright shirts Theodore wears to show his quiet desire for connection. I have to admit that the constant soft focus sometimes makes the city feel a bit like a blurry dream rather than a real physical place. That hazy look occasionally distracts from the serious emotional breakdown happening on the screen. Still, removing the color blue entirely from the lighting palette gives the whole world a cozy sunset vibe that perfectly matches a lonely romance.

Pay attention to the set design and you will see a future that feels surprisingly retro and analog. The bright interior of the apartment Theodore lives in feels very authentic because the warm wood floors and wide windows match a guy simply looking for comfort. A quick trip to his quiet office at Beautiful Handwritten Letters offers a totally different vibe entirely. The clean desks and pastel colored monitors look like a friendly but completely artificial corporate playground. My main complaint involves the high waisted pants everyone wears in this universe. The quirky fashion choice looks a bit too silly and distracting for a movie dealing with such heavy emotional themes.

You really have to listen to the voice acting to understand the deep emotional core of this strange relationship. My ears constantly catch the subtle breaths and slight laughs that Scarlett Johansson adds to make a computer program sound completely human. The editing moves at a very slow and peaceful pace, letting long intimate conversations play out naturally without any sudden cuts. We get a gorgeous and melancholy musical score composed by Arcade Fire, and that choice makes the quiet subway rides feel incredibly poignant. The sudden absolute silence when Theodore briefly loses his network connection to Samantha actually makes the digital isolation feel terrifyingly real.

Let us clear up some common mysteries about this unique science fiction romance.

Did Scarlett Johansson act on set with Joaquin Phoenix? No, the production originally filmed the entire movie with a different actress named Samantha Morton on set, but the director replaced her voice entirely in post production.

Where did they film those futuristic city scenes? The crew combined skyline shots of modern day Los Angeles with the massive skyscrapers and elevated walkways of Shanghai to create a believable future metropolis.

Did Spike Jonze write the script alone? Yes, this was actually his very first solo screenplay, and he eventually took home an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his incredible work.

The phenomenal voice acting and the cozy aesthetic keep me coming back every time, but I cannot deny that the third act drags just a little bit. Certain philosophical monologues about artificial intelligence evolve so quickly that you almost lose the grounded human romance that started the whole thing.

Fans of modern romance will definitely love finding the hidden color cues in these beautiful apartments. If you think you have the eye to spot the tiny earpiece in our daily movie guessing game or just want some fun movie trivia to share with friends, test your skills at Flickle. You can also try to guess the game based on subtle visual clues to prove your ultimate pop culture knowledge.