I finally had a chance to watch Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ which delves into the relationship between an AI and its (her) user. This is what I refer to as organic sci-fi, a style of science fiction that is actually an exploration of the idea of humanity vs. a conversation about the integration of science and technology into mankind. A good example of the other kind of sci fi is Alien or Terminator (hard action, I know).
At the 41 minute mark it just goes completely nuts as the AI commits to the idea of a physical relationship with the user and, for a moment, you realize that this has absolutely nothing to do with the AI and is in fact a simple response to programming and, possibly a form of psychotherapy for the user that does in fact mirror his nightly behaviors… minus the dead cat. Then we get a pair of totally CGI cut scenes and dive right back into a dude who is deeply afraid of commitment–or more accurately the change and loss of control that comes with commitment–and kind of scared of reality himself.
The film is beautiful and creepy all at once. I found myself drawn to the character, to his profession, his loneliness. All of it added up for me in a way that made sense. The relationships were the same way. While the story often progresses in the way that you want, it occasionally veers off and pursues innovative ideas about relationships and love and life and it comes together in a way that makes it all worth the watch.
Spike Jonze is a guy who is all over the place. There’s Jackass and Where the Wild Things Are and, one of my favorite films, Being John Malkovitch. This is another bit of weirdness in the box for him and fun the whole way through.
Some Thoughts:
- 1803 was the year the first public library opened in the USA, which is a really big deal for a writer.
- So, this happened. I am shocked and impressed and a little bit envious as a writer. Not envious. Excited and looking towards doing my own version of stuff in the near future. Thats the key with genre: you take what exists and add the color and flavor of your own voice and background.