Semantic Techniques In The Film Her, By Spike Jonze

Directed, written, and produced by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Pheonix and Scarlett Johansson, Her is a romantic sci-fi drama about letter writer Theodore Twombly (Pheonix) who falls in love with Samantha (Johansson), his artificially intelligent operating system. The film, released in 2013, marked Jonze’s screenwriting debut and was developed after he read an article about a program that allowed users to instant message with an AI program and received critical acclaim for it’s expert take on society’s growing dependence on technology.

The film takes place in Los Angeles of the near future – Theodore is a lonely, rather introverted man who spends his days developing personalized letters and greeting cards. He’s depressed because of his impending divorce from his wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara), and wildly disconnected from his friends and coworkers, Amy (Amy Adams), Charles (Matt Letscher), and Paul (Chris Pratt). On a whim and after a terrible night of seeking internet
He plays Theodore’s uncomfortable and desperate loneliness well despite his usual dashing good looks and often unmistakable bravado in his other films. He’s quiet and unsure at all the right times, and frustratingly selfish and careless in others – through the film, it’s easy to find yourself rooting for and gushing over him one moment and feeling incredibly baffled and annoyed by his moody behavior in others. Still, while Pheonix’s portrayal of Theodore is masterful in it’s careful vulnerability, Johansson’s Samantha is the true triumph. Her voice is tender, but sensual; sweet, but sexy; and she plays the role of the compassionate and curious yet wildly intelligent and at times brash OS perfectly. It’s impossible to imagine another actress playing Samantha even though the character is disembodied. Though Johansson is not ever physically seen in the movie, you see her in Samantha, even when she’s just a tiny metal box sitting in Theodore’s