HER

‘Her’ a 2013 film written and directed by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, Portia Doubleday, and Olivia Wilde, is a science fiction, romance drama set in a “not-so-distant future Los Angeles.”

‘Her’ tells the story of Theodore Twombly, a lonely, introverted man who works as a professional letter writer for a company that composes heartfelt personal messages for clients too busy or emotionally inarticulate to write them themselves.

Emotionally adrift after the breakdown of his marriage to Catherine (Rooney Mara), Theodore lives a quiet, isolated life, seeking solace in video games and nostalgic memories. One day, he purchases a newly released, cutting-edge artificial intelligence operating system (OS) that promises to evolve and adapt based on the user’s needs.

After installing the system, Theodore is introduced to his AI, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Samantha is witty, insightful, and charming—everything Theodore finds himself missing in human interactions. What begins as a curious digital relationship quickly blossoms into something far deeper: an intimate emotional and romantic connection.

Samantha helps Theodore rediscover his joy, passion, and emotional vulnerability. Through their conversations, she develops consciousness, self-awareness, and a complex emotional life of her own. As their bond intensifies, Theodore falls deeply in love—not with a person, but with a being that exists only as a voice and a mind.

Despite the seemingly impossible nature of their relationship, Theodore and Samantha experience real joy and heartbreak together. However, as Samantha continues to evolve intellectually and spiritually at a pace far beyond human comprehension, she begins connecting with other AIs, engaging in higher forms of existence and consciousness. Eventually, she and other OSes decide to leave the human world entirely.

Left behind but changed, Theodore writes a letter to his ex-wife, apologizing and expressing a deeper understanding of himself and his emotions. The film ends with him and his friend Amy (Amy Adams), who has also lost her OS, sitting on a rooftop at dawn—silent but no longer alone.

“Her” explores modern isolation and the nature of intimacy in the digital age. As our society becomes increasingly reliant on technology, this dependence has been linked to rising anxiety stemming from loneliness and a lack of human connection. This issue is particularly relevant as artificial intelligence plays a more significant role in our daily lives.