“We ask you a simple question, ‘Who are you?’”
Human’s need for companionship and a longing for feeling loved gives rise to the presence of AI companionship. This might be a reflection of an underlying void we seek to fill. While AI can offer comfort and consolation, the questions about whether such connections genuinely satisfy emotional needs or is it just a temporary escape, still remains well sustained. Her(2013), a brilliant work by Spike Jones, explores the possibility of a future where artificial intelligence is slightly more advanced. The protagonist, Theodore Twombly, is seen as dealing with the grief of the end of a long term relationship and with themes of identity. We do not catch any glimpse of his past or as to what led him to the state he is in. We only know about his present but we do see him dwelling in the past at times. He comes across an operating system that can apparently talk and understand like humans. He starts talking to an AI voice of a female named ‘Samantha’. There exist considerations of the most bizarre professions like the hiring of a body double by Samantha for Theodore or be it Theodore’s job where he writes personal, intimate letters for others.
Having love around you present in the form of a person in your life, feels like a blissful experience for your senses. The consciousness of senses is what makes one feel loved and cared for, and for a human developing a connection with a voice of an operating system which inherently is lifeless, or maybe indifferent, indicates a natural deeper longing wherein they are trying to fill a void, desperately so. Theodore’s loneliness resonates with modern day’s human’s increasing isolation from each other. For getting over the eternal sadness from within, we generally tend to look for companionship and other tools in the world outside. In a growing technological world, with AI gaining popular grounds and being able to tackle human-like tasks, it is normal for the growing outreach of AI companionship.
The ambience of Theodore and Samantha’s conversations is crystal clear, yet there are several scenes spent in silence. Still the playfulness and cheerfulness of her voice reaches you and Theodore gradually develops a strong relationship with Samantha. Their relationship can be seen as a relationship not between a man and an Operating System but two beings who are conscious. On one side Samantha faces no biological limitations and in her relationship with Theodore she keeps on evolving and adapting to the depths of human’s existential complexities.
Watching the movie in the late silence of the night, drowns you in the state of a strange stillness, slightly unsettling, as you feel a wrap of loneliness around you. Talking at an intellectual level, you can connect the dots in the movie, but there is a sense of complexity associated with Theodore when it comes to understanding his emotional turmoil. There is an undeniable dichotomy that the presence of a real person engages all the senses, an artificial entity only mimics affection through programmed interactions.
The blend of artificial intelligence is shown infused in the life of a common person in the future that is being presented to us. I wouldn’t leave out the mention of the immensely beautiful cinematography. The themes throughout the movie, as it progresses, moves on a warm red spectrum gradually changing to darker shades varying with the emotional complications of the scene. Also, the auditory effects in the movie fall perfectly well with the themes of the movie. The ‘Moon Song’ gets a special from me as the soundtrack is so surreal and carries the warm undertones from the movie.