Director - Spike Jonze
Notable cast - Joaquin Phoenix, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams
Genre - Science fiction/Drama/Rom-com
Budget - 23 Million
Notable cast - Joaquin Phoenix, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams
Genre - Science fiction/Drama/Rom-com
Budget - 23 Million
Run time - 126 minutes
Her is a 2013 film that incorporates the usually polar genres of science fiction and romantic comedy seamlessly. It intrigued me when I first saw the advertisement, I presumed it was going to be a film about a man, who left his wife for his Iphone. Oh how wrong I was. Set in the not too distant future, Her is not about technology, it's about loneliness, the impact of being lonely, being stuck inside your own head. Also representing how self destructive human emotion can be.
Considering that 50% of the film's dialogue between the two film's protagonists is faceless. Scarlett Johansson (Samantha) is a credit as her emotional range, and expression through vocals alone makes the audience sympathize and emphasize to the character. Along with Joaquine Phoenix (Theodore) who introduces comedy into scenes where no comedy should be, is also a real asset to the film.
The colour co-ordination in Her is a visual aid that the film relies on. The terribly mundane backdrop of a futuristic city is only dispersed when Theodore (Phoenix) appears wearing a Schindler's list-esque red jumper. But worn for the opposite reasons, it connotes passion, a uniqueness and I think the little bit of hope that Theodore has left for the world. The Red is introduced more, and less as the plot line and characters develop, passively showing more about the character that words and actions would not be able to express.
Another aid that helps the development is the predominantly classical music, the music is a lot more obvious. It develops with character and eventually becomes diegetic. This helps to show the humanity of Samantha (Johansson), and again, delivers the unexpected with good development, without slipping into cliche's that could have easily appeared.
The transitions used are cuts, which have little connotation, but the interesting use of a fade to black during a sex scene, is reminiscent of an art-house movie, while also being a practical advantage as it avoids an awkward scene of Theodore (Phoenix) having sex wearing nothing but an ear-piece. It also has a lot of meaning behind it as it shows what both characters were figuratively and literally seeing. This artistic approach is what reminds me of other films such as Lost in translation - which has similar themes.
The plot is very erratic, the build up results to an predictable and anti climatic ending, and the random camera angles don't feel natural. The subjectivity that is placed around the accidental or on purpose use of these aspects leave me unsure whether the film's faults were intentional, therefore benefiting the overall narrative if pondered over.
Her is a 2013 film that incorporates the usually polar genres of science fiction and romantic comedy seamlessly. It intrigued me when I first saw the advertisement, I presumed it was going to be a film about a man, who left his wife for his Iphone. Oh how wrong I was. Set in the not too distant future, Her is not about technology, it's about loneliness, the impact of being lonely, being stuck inside your own head. Also representing how self destructive human emotion can be.
Considering that 50% of the film's dialogue between the two film's protagonists is faceless. Scarlett Johansson (Samantha) is a credit as her emotional range, and expression through vocals alone makes the audience sympathize and emphasize to the character. Along with Joaquine Phoenix (Theodore) who introduces comedy into scenes where no comedy should be, is also a real asset to the film.
The colour co-ordination in Her is a visual aid that the film relies on. The terribly mundane backdrop of a futuristic city is only dispersed when Theodore (Phoenix) appears wearing a Schindler's list-esque red jumper. But worn for the opposite reasons, it connotes passion, a uniqueness and I think the little bit of hope that Theodore has left for the world. The Red is introduced more, and less as the plot line and characters develop, passively showing more about the character that words and actions would not be able to express.
Another aid that helps the development is the predominantly classical music, the music is a lot more obvious. It develops with character and eventually becomes diegetic. This helps to show the humanity of Samantha (Johansson), and again, delivers the unexpected with good development, without slipping into cliche's that could have easily appeared.
The transitions used are cuts, which have little connotation, but the interesting use of a fade to black during a sex scene, is reminiscent of an art-house movie, while also being a practical advantage as it avoids an awkward scene of Theodore (Phoenix) having sex wearing nothing but an ear-piece. It also has a lot of meaning behind it as it shows what both characters were figuratively and literally seeing. This artistic approach is what reminds me of other films such as Lost in translation - which has similar themes.
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