Review of Herø (2001) by Andrew M — 15 Feb 2015

This is a simply outstanding film that meshes sci-fi themes with romantic reality in a seamless and intriguing way. Who would have thought that Spike Jonze, a man known to many as another name in the credits of Jackass, was capable of such profound and flawless writing.

The story is perfectly crafted and the film so impeccably edited that by the time you start questioning a part of the plot, your question is answered almost immediately.

*Mild plot spoilers, nothing too specific though*.

For instance, as Theodore starts to form his relationship with Samantha, you might wonder if this is simply Theodore being a recluse. Is this behavior unique to Theodore? Or is he in reality one of many. The answer is given soon thereafter, and it humanizes Theodore instead of making him the subject of a freakshow similar to Lars and the Real Girl.

The film probes into some profound questions, the main one being if a relationship between a human and an AI is a real relationship or not. It works so well because not one person in the film criticizes Theodore for his relationship (his ex merely views it as logical for Theodore, but shows no animosity towards the AI factor). Ultimately between Scarlett Johannson's fantastic performance, and the film's society's acceptance of their relationship, you're allowed to view it as perfectly normal. Once you've accepted their love as real, then you can begin to study it.

Eventually we see the point where AIs transcend humans. Theodore, with his limited perspective and relatively weaker human brain, is incapable of accepting and comprehending what Samantha's love means. And thus they both have no choice but to move on. The beautiful irony in all of this is that it's Theodore who is at fault by the end of the film, albeit for reasons completely different than at the beginning. Theodore has learned the error of his former ways. Samantha grants him a second lease on life with other real people.

Jonze's writing and Johannson's voice-over work make AIs a living breathing species, and that's something that has rarely ever been captured on film. And for a change, the AIs aren't the bad guys. Instead, they're a species much like us, and they end up teaching us about ourselves.

Her is in my opinion the most well-written film that I have seen in ages, and I can't recommend it enough.