Returning home from seeing Spike Jonze's latest endeavour Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix alongside Scarlett Johansson as the operating system whom he falls in love with, I am left feeling unsettled. Unnerved by the question of the fate of the technological world, the irony of beginning to write this post on my phone on the bus home, before sending it off into the ether of the internet is not lost on me. So where to begin?
Well I think before I get into the uncomfortable nature of the film some time has to be given to the soundtrack which as far as the romance of the film goes, seems to hold the candle. The majority of the score was written by Arcade Fire and the gentle charm of each piece makes it easy to fall for. There is a lightness to the entire soundtrack which juxtaposes the uncertainty of the narrative. While there may be significant questions as to the sentiment of falling in love with a computer generated voice, the score provides a much simpler backdrop to these overarching concerns. Karen O's addition to the ensemble is dazzling and provides a moment of unclouded relief during which the film is able to act as a romance, without the complications that one would expect of Jonze, if only for a moment.
There is, at least, a comedic edge to Jonze's writing through which we are able to find momentary comfort. It remains that managing to have an entire cinema audience in unanimous hysterics is an achievement in its own right. The direction is also noteworthy, with some scenes shot with a beautiful reflection of the early stages of a relationship, in its luminous exchanges and radiant promises of something beyond human perception.
Despite the suggestion of the film as a romance it is fraught with scepticism to the point where, despite its sentimental surface, it perpetuates an unsettling sense of fear that resonates once it finishes. Bound up in doubts about things of such great magnitude that it is too difficult to grasp them during the running of the film. The fate of mankind is left hanging in this looming world where we are lost in the clutches of technologies that, although seemingly seek to connect us, in fact leave us in a state of inescapable isolation. Although there is a certain beauty to the film, it seems contradicted by its very core. Existing in a technological age, as we sit on buses and pass through streets where we are all sucked into the screens of our phones, there is the question as to whether we've already gone too far - is it possible to come back or is the hope of discovering real human connection dwindling with ever iPhone update?
No comments:
Post a Comment