Film Review: Her (15) (U.S.A. 2013) (Director: Spike Jonze),  The Filmhouse Cinema Screen One, Edinburgh, Saturday 15.02.2014, 18:00

This is a film about a man falling in love with the female operating voice of an advanced computer operating system. There is a lot of context to this such as that the character, Theodore, is vulnerable having come out of a long-term relationship recently and so can be seen as potentially more susceptible to this perverse form of relationship. 

The film explores the nature of intimate relationships. Feelings are real regardless as to how generated So does that mean a relationship felt to be experienced with say an inanimate object or a sound, where intense feelings are attached is any less real or valid? I am to a degree playing devils advocate as I find intense relational feelings being experienced in regard to anything other than another person to be quite odd, and not in a good way. 

Clearly this form of artificial relationship could be seen as a support, to build confidence, until the person feels able to return to a world of real relationships. Sadly in the film, when Theodore is confronted with the artificial nature of the relationship, this is not used as a signal to start to break away from this support. The film appears to end with Theodore deciding to remain in the artificial realms. This gave the film an overriding sense of tragedy and melancholia. 

By way of comparison, 'Lars and the Real Girl' (2007), revolves around another form of artificial relationship, though it is used as a tool to work towards reengaging with real world relationships, and is therefore a far more vibrant and life-affirming affair.

I have a sense of the film being interesting, though not really leaving with anything to cogitate.

Rating: 07/10.