Her

Spike Jonze fourth feature film is Her and the last of real awards films to be released this year and his first as both writer and director, having previously worked twice with the brilliant Charlie Kauffman on Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.

Her follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a letter writer for a large company, who is still suffering from the breakdown of his marriage. He lives alone and only has a few friends, both seemingly as awkward and unhappy as he is. But with the introduction of a new Operating System, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) arrives in his life. From here on we watch as their relationship grows from of friendship to lovers.

As with last years The Master Phoenix has taken on a role with a man who he has characterised so easily with his posture. Freddie Quell in The Master was a twisted and hunched degenerate. Theodore often walks with his arms crossed, or his jacket pulled closed, protecting himself from everything around him. It’s only when he is with Samantha that his body relaxes. The best examples are the scenes with Amy (Amy Adams), especially the first time, as comes across as carefree and even happy for a few seconds.

For large parts of Her it is just Theodore on his own, talking to another voice. Even the technology that Samantha inhabits is tiny and barely visible. But Phoenix keeps it small, not trying to fill the quiet or static moments; he could have gone big, to try and create a sense of urgency or heightened drama. But both he and Spike Jonze slow things down and let the material play out at a much more natural pace.

The version of the future we see in Her is relatively subdued compared to other futuristic imaginings, specifically of Los Angeles. It does draw comparison to the more optimistic Sci-Fi of the seventies, when everything would turn out clean and white, generally a decent place to live, unlike the post Blade Runner futures.

The technology we see, bar for the advance nature of the OS, isn’t far fetched, everything runs quicker and is smaller, those are the only real “stretches” we see bar the borderline frightening speed at which the OS can develop and evolve.

Scarlett Johansson gives one of her best performances, and it is purely vocal…or audio. She grows Samantha slowly at first, cautiously integrating herself into Theodore’s life, helping to plan and arrange his day at first before she begins to think for herself and begins to “see” Theodore differently. It’s when Samantha and Theodore take that next step when we Johansson really comes into her own, at times confused and unsure of the nature of her feelings for Theodore, or his terror when she is away from him, that make it a believable and very human portrayal of an OS.

On of Her’s greatest strengths is the wit that Jonze instils in it, some of it obviously funny, but others have tinge of sadness to them. One example of each, the later first, is a group of people who are drawn to couples between people and OS’s and offer to be a surrogate sexual partner, remaining completely silent the entirety of the night/date.

The more conventionally witty/funny part of the film is the video game that Theodore plays, it falls somewhere between a Wii and virtual reality, but when that gives abuse back to you if you swear at it. Something to think about next to you scream at screen when you are playing Call of Duty, FIFA, etc.

Her does feel a bit long, but it’s hard to feel where exactly it drags, as no one scene is indulgent or there for the sake of some monologue or unnecessary visual pay off. If it had been five or ten minutes shorter, I think it would have been marginally stronger for it. But like with Dallas Buyers Club, I am picking at straws.

Spike Jonze and his cast and crew have created one the greatest films about love and the craziness/insanity it forces on all of us, all the while giving us a thoroughly possible and believable future.

Director: Spike Jonze

Writer: Spike Jonze

Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club tells the story of Ron Woodroof, an electrician and rodeo rider, who after being hurt in a work based accident, is told that he has HIV. At first angry and constantly denying the facts and possibility that he does have it, he begins to research the drug he is being given, AZT. But as controversy begins to build over the drug, Ron sets up his own clinic, where people can treat themselves with seemingly better medication.

Matthew McConaughey continues his resurgence of the last few years here with another stand out performance. The most noticeable thing part of his performance is the weight that he lost for this role, losing a lot of the muscle that we come to expect of him, reducing himself to gangly and frail looking man.

But beyond the physical transformation, as with Christian Bale in American Hustle, there is a lot to take from the character. We start with the hyper masculine Texan who looks down and jokes about homosexuals, to a man who through his work comes into contact and gets to know countless gay men, one of which becomes in a way his best friend.

It is a performance centred on change, but more than the usual predictable arc, we see Ron physically change for the worse, but becomes more understanding and caring in his personality. From a forgettable rodeo and womanizer to a man who did everything he could to improve the lives of many strangers.

Playing a character like Rayon, a transvestite/transsexual male hooker, it would be very easy to swing for the fences and go really big. But it shows Jared Leto’s restraint and understanding of the character that he plays it small and restrained. We can physically see the pain and confusion that he suffers in the way he moves and his actions. Leto tries to keep the characters pain hidden with his drug use and humour, but with every joke or line the character continues to unravel.

One of the most interesting parts of the film is Ron’s battle with the FDA, who have made a deal with manufacturers of AZT to push it as the sole cure/treatment for HIV. The FDA confiscates or bans the import or use of drugs that are proven to help sufferers in other countries. More of this subplot would have been interesting to me anyway and I would have loved to see it explained further, although it would have threatened to overshadow Ron’s personal story and we may have ended up with something like Traffic

If I have one criticism of Dallas Buyers Club, which in itself if a stretch, it’s that I feel it could have done to have been five minutes shorter, especially in it’s final act. No, I don’t know what scenes or shots should have been cut, but being a bit leaner would have certainly helped the film for me.

It may not getting the praise as a film, but for the two main performances it’s quality is undeniable and real rollercoaster of a story about man who did what he could for himself and complete strangers a like.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Writer: Craig Borten Melisa Wallack