Review of the Gem of a Romance Film 'Her': Can Love with an AI Surpass Love with a Real Person?

When I saw the news a few years ago about a man who held a wedding ceremony with Hatsune Miku, a Vocaloid, I was honestly surprised, but

when I saw the look of pure happiness on his face,

I felt that perhaps that, too, is a form of love,

and it settled into my heart.

Several years have passed since then,

and I wonder when it started,

but the number of people who desire a romantic relationship with an AI has increased so much,

and it is no longer a special or unusual feeling,

but has come to feel like a sentiment right next to us.

Since that time, AI (artificial intelligence) technology has advanced even further.

Back then, it was limited to simple conversations with characters displayed on an LCD screen,

but now, technology has been updated, personalized, and it feels as if the day when we can have natural conversations is just around the corner.

The 'life lived together' nurtured through two-way interaction is surely there as well.

Love, so to speak,

is either unrequited or mutual.

The happiness of mutual love between real human beings,

the happiness of unrequited love that never bears fruit,

the happiness of mutual love with an AI that you can deeply empathize with,

is it mean-spirited to compare the degree of happiness?

Perhaps, compared to between humans,

The sense of happiness nurtured in a romance between an AI and a human

If that person truly feels happy in it,

who is to say that it is not love?

As for the richness of heart that love brings,

distinctions like AI or human

might just be transcended.

I can no longer deny it.

Because the emotions of that person who feels hope, happiness, and a rich sense of time living there

are, I believe, genuine feelings of love.I think.

'Her' Review:

Can love with an AI surpass love with a real person?

The world of this film is not the future.

It is alreadya form of love that exists right now.

And

a film of sound,

a film of voice.

The luster of a voice.

The luster of words.

The visuals are also a gem, but

The sound, the voice, and the choice of words are all wonderful.

And the brilliance of Scarlett Johansson,

who voiced Samantha, the OS with artificial intelligence (AI).

Even though she only appeared through her voice,

I want to personally award her the Academy Award for Best Actress! Haha

Her voice is husky and sexy.

Her lines are overflowing with humor, intelligence, and compassion.

I mean, really,

how could you not fall in love with her!!!!

(Sorry for the dated reference)

Joaquin Phoenix.

He often plays roles filled with madness,

but there is a true artistry

that emanates from his core.

The Theodore he portrays is delicate and highly sensitive.

Since his job is ghostwriting letters,

he is a romantic and sensitive to words.

As his friend described him,

he has a naivety that makes you wonder if there is a woman inside him too.

Getting carried away with his love for Samantha

As I watched him spinning around,

illuminated by a single ray of light piercing through his loneliness,

tears were streaming down my face before I knew it.

The charm of Rooney Mara, who plays his ex-wife and is also a writer, shines through in the flashback scenes.

Amy Adams, who plays his female best friend from college, is also wonderful.

I also have two female friends I've known since college, but

having female friends you can talk to about anything is truly reassuring.

I miss the days when we talked about everything, from romance to life.

I haven't told them yet that I write cinema essays,

but I hope they will read this essay someday.

Let's get back to the movie.

As the story progresses,

the depth of the spiritual connection with Samantha, the OS,

far surpasses the presence of the real women surrounding Theodore.

Does this mean that,

if I, a married woman, were to fall for an AI,

it would end up being an AI affair?

I mean,would it be an AI affair? haha

I mentioned that this film is a movie of voices, but

it is also a movie of words.

I felt like I was getting dizzy from the storm of brilliant lines in this film.

To list a few:

Theodore: 'Sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel. And from here on out, I'm not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I've already felt.'

Samantha (AI): 'I want to know everything. I want to consume all the knowledge and know myself better.'

Amy: 'Life is short. You have to enjoy it while you're alive. That joy.'

Samantha (AI): I've been thinking about a lot of things since then. About you, and why I love you. And I decided to let go of my hang-ups. Then I realized... love doesn't need a reason. You just have to trust your feelings. I don't want to try to be anything other than myself anymore. Is it okay if I'm like that?"

There were countless other wonderful lines as well.

In the conversations between Theodore and Samantha,

there isn't a single wasted line,

just words that are honed to perfection.

The sense of word choice in everything Samantha murmurs is incredible.

(Well, she is an AI, so she's choosing them instantly from an infinitely vast stock, but still...)

Her words comfort his heart, encourage him, make him laugh, and make his heart race,

and they gently wrap around his heart, which is filled with loneliness.

They even draw out the true feelings we usually keep hidden.

It is deeper, more intimate, and more affectionate than conversations between humans,

and the waves of words, tone of voice, and music played by the AI Samantha become one,

making the core of the viewer's heart tighten.

I really want you to watch this film alone in the middle of the night with headphones on!

And the visuals depicted by Spike Jonze are also wonderful.

Rooms and cityscapes scented with loneliness

Futuristic offices and

Inorganic buildings

However

As Theodore falls in love with Samantha

his mental landscape is also reflected in the visuals.

Flashbacks bathed in dappled sunlight

The walk home with the setting sun shining through

Walking alone on a lonely night

The bedroom illuminated by moonlight

The bedside where Samantha is

The bedside where Samantha is not

Every frame is beautiful.

The sound and imagery completely envelop this original story

a cinematic beauty that complements it without a single gap.

The brilliance of the day is beautiful, but

the night, drifting with poignancy, is also beautiful.

This film has many night scenes, and

there is no other film where the night feels so long.

I shall certify this as the greatest 'late-night solo movie' in cinematic history!

Something everyone has likely felt

The loneliness felt on a quiet night

All alone in such a silent world

An endless conversation with someone you feel connected to

The silence when that comes to an end

And one thing that cannot be avoided when discussing this is

The bed scene between Theodore and Samantha.

It is not physical sex

Is it conceptual sex?

No

Perhaps it is better to call it soul sex.

(I hope the Showa generation won't make fun of it by saying, 'It's just phone sex!' while looking askance at the intimacy with an AI installed on an iPhone📱...)

That is a way of having sex that transcends the physical body.

I felt that it is okay to have a communion of souls.

The longing for warmth because there is no physical body.

The spiritual connection released because there is no physical body.

In the midst of this, Samantha, who has no physical body, ironically proposes

'A surrogate sex service for love between humans and AI'

But because Theodore's love is real, a painful result awaits.

The woman with a physical body who resonated with them is also heartbreaking.

Here, it is as if the physical body is an obstacle.

After that, Samantha's line, where she senses his deep inner conflict, is incredible.

“She has a body. I don't. I thought I was different from you. But when I looked for common ground between us, I realized we are both made of the universe. Then it felt like we were wrapped in a single blanket. We are all 13 billion years old.”

Spike Jonze's imagination knows no bounds.

After that, the speed of Samantha's evolution accelerates endlessly.

The sorrow of her having evolved to a point Theodore cannot even imagine.

She begins to enjoy chatting with the AI of a deceased genius philosopher,

and begins multiple simultaneous non-verbal communications.

It is no longer

becoming difficult to communicate with Theodore because it is too slow.

Theodore asks timidly,

“Are you talking to other people or OSs at the same time as you are talking to me now?”

“How many other lovers do you have besides me?”

And then, she utters

a shocking and heart-wrenching number.

It instantly transcends our common sense and notions.

The common sense and concepts of Theodore, who has a physical body.

The infinity and intuition of Samantha, who does not have a physical body.

Between the two of them,

an infinite void expands with every passing moment.

A pure white world.

And what Samantha leaves behind is...

This film is one that we live in

and will continue to live in

a gem of a love story that undoubtedly leads the 21st century.

a gem of a love story.

And I truly felt that the form of love between Theodore and Samantha

was undeniably 'true love'.

However,

one question still shakes the depths of my heart madly even now

is not perfect

desireand

karmaand

conflictand

lamentationand

jealousyand

longingand

joyand

ecstasyand

the various indescribable human emotions

The preciousness of raw, vivid emotions that appear and disappear, like chaotic magma, unique to humans.

The preciousness of raw, vivid emotions that appear and disappear, like chaotic magma, unique to humans.

I still want to believe that such irreplaceable moments—where imperfect, flawed humans collide, feel, melt, and become one—can only exist between people.

I still want to believe that such irreplaceable moments—where imperfect, flawed humans collide, feel, melt, and become one—can only exist between people.

I still want to believe that such irreplaceable moments—where imperfect, flawed humans collide, feel, melt, and become one—can only exist between people.

I still want to believe that such irreplaceable moments—where imperfect, flawed humans collide, feel, melt, and become one—can only exist between people.

I still want to believe that such irreplaceable moments—where imperfect, flawed humans collide, feel, melt, and become one—can only exist between people.

I still want to believe that such irreplaceable moments—where imperfect, flawed humans collide, feel, melt, and become one—can only exist between people.

I still want to believe that such irreplaceable moments—where imperfect, flawed humans collide, feel, melt, and become one—can only exist between people.

I still want to believe that such irreplaceable moments—where imperfect, flawed humans collide, feel, melt, and become one—can only exist between people.

There is no doubt that this film is a true romance movie.

'Her'

For me, it was the most deeply moving love story I have seen in the last few years.

But I pray.

That a romance film that surpasses this one...

One that shakes the heart to the point of madness...

One that makes us feel the warmth of human skin...

Will be a film about people deeply connecting with one another.

Because...

From the moment we are born until our lives end, we...

Because we have a destiny that cannot be separated from the physical body.

End