It might be hard to believe but it’s been four years since Spike Jonze has made a feature film, the last one being Where the Wild Things Are which introduced me to the band Arcade Fire. He has been working mostly on shorts and music videos, which are what he loves, but this November we finally get a new feature film from Jonze and it’s simply called Her.
In the film, Joaquin Phoenix plays an introverted guy (not a 70’s porn star) who falls in love with an artificial operating system that is voiced by Scarlett Johansson. It’s labeled as a sci-fi romantic comedy but the trailer suggests a touching yet saddening drama featuring Phoenix playing a role that’s the exact opposite of the one he played The Master, showing just how versatile he is. The trailer is captivating and emphasizes both loneliness and true love but it also plays out like a short film and leaves us begging for more. Editors take note, this is how you cut a trailer.
The one thing that struck me about the topic of this love story is that this is a movie comprised of white people. The reason I find it odd, and very bold, is because this is the type of film that would be ripe for Japan. In fact, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a Japanese film already made that was similar to this.
Any who, check out the full trailer below and prepare to be intrigued by what a Spike Jonze love story looks like. Her hits theaters on November 20th and also stars Amy Adams, Rooney Mara and Olivia Wilde.
Set in Los Angeles, slightly in the future, “her” follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. From the unique perspective of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze comes an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world.
