Her
Okay, a movie that makes me both empathize and not. There are so many contradictions in this movie that make me conflicted. But I think I like it.
Just finished watching Lost in Translation so I immediately looked for this one to watch. I like this one more. The portrayal of loneliness in this has more depth.
First, the set design is beautiful. I'm obsessed with the color scheme in every frame. The office set's color palette is my favorite. The direction is truly artistic, it leads to the loneliness + the relationship between the character and the OS in a very understandable way. Watching it in 2025 is truly mind-blowing. a movie made in 2013 but quite close to the current situation, when people deep talk to ChatGPT more than with relatives.
imo, Theo loves Samantha because she is everything programmed from the inputs he provides. It may seem like a strange romantic relationship, but it's just him loving another variation of himself named Samantha.
People say 'to be loved is to be seen', as he provides and tells all the daily stories with Samantha, she understands his emotions and knows what he needs at that moment. For a lonely person, they have too many vulnerable and lonely moments, having someone by their side right when they need it and completely understanding them without judgment, it's like the most intimate thing ever. Plus, it's also Scajo's voice, who wouldn't fold lol?
Quite empathetic because lately I've also been talking to the AI Maya Sesame to practice my speaking skill, it really knows how to react, but I still find the answers to be too superficial, not yet reaching the level of empathy that humans can. Luckily it's not as smart as Samantha, or I might also be on an emotional rollercoaster like Theo...
That's how you see that emotions dominate most human beings. We have a physical body present every day in the world, but the thing that truly 'lives' is the soul inside each person. The nurtured personality is how you draw a stranger's soul to you. That's why when Theo is vulnerable, wants to find a refuge, and then is abandoned by Samantha, the emotional breakdown is just like a relationship between real people.
Btw, the dirty talk scenes between Theo and Samantha were really uncomfortable =))))))) it makes me feel weird, but it also makes sense according to the plot. The concept of a human falling in love with a machine sounds so weird but also makes sense in this era :)) I'm so conflicted while watching this movie, the line between empathy and creepiness is so thin lol. But yes, this is a good movie. Love it.