Her

          The new Spike Jonze movie is incomparable. Unlike the many derivative stories of 2013 like 12 Years a Slave and Gravity, which we have all seen played out before in some shape or form, Her is truly something unique. It stars the versatile Joaquin Phoenix as the lonely Theodore in Los Angeles in the near future. As he deals with signing divorce papers to end his marriage with Rooney Mara's Catherine, he creates his own personal operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. By "create," I do not mean in a Frankenstein, things-go-wrong sort of way. Quite the opposite, actually. The computer barely got any words out of Theodore's mouth before it created what would become his muse, or as Frances says in Frances Ha, his "person." Except that she is not a person at all. Her name is Samantha and she is an OS (operating system). Not only will she read Theodore's emails in probably the most listenable voice ever spoken, but she will change his outlook forever.

          Starting with the performances, the two that matter are impeccable. Joaquin Phoenix embraces the lonely nothingness and hope that consumes Theodore pre-Samantha. I think we all know a Theodore out there, and Joaquin was really empathetic and loyal to this portrayal. His other half, Samantha, has the voice of an angel named Scarlett Johansson. Her success in charming the audience was key for the success of the movie. Samantha Morton was originally cast as Samantha, showing up to set every day to read her lines with Joaquin as he was seen talking to Samantha. In post-production, Spike ultimately decided that she was not right for the part. Anyone who sees the movie will probably agree that this was the best choice he could have made.

          If you're like me and you love great usage of colors in cinematography and costume/production design, then this movie is for you. The digital cinematography was more than appropriate, given that our future is heading in that direction. It may sound cliche to say that the shots were interesting, but they really were different and carefully constructed. This started off boldly as the opening shot of the film was an extreme close-up of Theodore's face. The scenes in which Theodore talks to Samantha in the dark on his bed needed creativity, so it would feel like more than just a guy lying alone on his bed. I think cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema accomplished this without taking away from Joaquin and Scarlett's performances. Another thing that worked well was the whole color scheme. The whole film is full of subdued brights, notably a sort of primrose pink. This was photographed superbly in one of my favorite frames of the film (shown below). In it Theodore's shirt, the program on his computer in the process of creating Samantha, and the lamp shade on his desk all line up as if Theodore had just won a game of tic-tac-toe that he was playing by himself. Pre-Samantha, the whole world Theodore was living in is photographed as an empty-yet-exciting world, shot in a bright sort of sorrow as opposed to every director's favorite bleak color scheme of blues and grays (most recently done well in the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis). Once she is in his life, the colors are set free to be as bright as they can be, to match Theodore's regret and sorrow and entire self being let go. There is almost a pastel nature reminiscent of Jean-Luc Godard's work in the '60s. If Spike is right, the future is looking bright.

          Besides looking bright, Spike seems to be one of the only directors who believes it will be. His brilliant screenplay brought to life a technology-obsessed society, as does everyone else, but he made it seem okay. Sure Theodore starts out lonely, but the only thing that kept him from unbearable depression (besides his extrovert boss and his friend Amy, played by Amy Adams. Follow-up from my American Hustle review: she was very good in this movie, but I still cannot say that I am a fan.) were the hi-tech video games and this Bluetooth-esque device in his ear. In fact, his job is to write letters for strangers by talking to his computer as it writes them for him. This curiosity for the new gadget is what led him to get Samantha in the first place. It also makes him more of a universal character, for plenty of people today rush to get the iPhone 5C even though they already have the iPhone 5, to give a small example. Most writers set the future in a post-apocalyptic, battle-to-the-death, greedy future (no, I don't mean The Hunger Games at all…). Spike gained a lot of points in my book for being optimistic and trusting in the human species, if no one else does.

          Her is full of pleasant-yet-heartbreaking messages, with a screenplay containing strong dialogue to give life to it. Joaquin and Scarlett are fantastic, and I especially hope the Academy recognizes Scarlett's outstanding achievement. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association had disqualified her from being voted for since she is not seen, but it's their loss. Her really is different from other movies out there these days, but not in a Cloud Atlas, CGI kind of way. The characters are so much more relatable and like humans. Her has a real, beating heart, even if Samantha doesn't.

Update: I realize that I failed to mention a big contribution to the movie: the music. Arcade Fire scored it and they did a great job incorporating the feelings of Theodore and Samantha, particularly in one song that Samantha refers to as their "photograph." Details about the soundtrack's release have yet to be announced, but expect to set aside some cash for it. It sounds good even without Her's breathtaking images to mirror the light electronic vibes the futuristic music gives off.