Review of Her (2013) by Tvjerry — 22 Jan 2014

Joaquin Phoenix plays an earnest man who leads a quiet life in slightly-future LA. He loads a new operating system on his computer (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and they end up passionately in love. Director Spike Jonze has written a unique story and endowed it with sweet ruminations on love and life.

Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema has created a lovely look with soft light and shallow focus. The whole film has a wistful, quiet quality that's heartfelt, but there are too many scenes of Phoenix in solo conversations with his OS.

I also had problems with some stuff being modern and cool, while other things (esp. the fashion) look disappointingly unfuturistic. Despite its good qualities, this could have been a short and would have been charming.

For me it's just too long and too precious.