Her

It's no secret that Joaquin Phoenix is the love of my life (at least to my close friends and family... and my boyfriend who rolls his eyes whenever I mention the name).  When I found myself elbow-deep in the five dollar DVD bin at Walmart and I came across these dreamy eyes, you could probably guess that I was over the moon with excitement.

For those who have seen the film, I already know what you're thinking.  "This girl is absolutely nuts.  Does she even know the plot of this film?  Has she even HEARD of Joker?" I'd say you're correct, and yes to both (as of today), and here I am still pronouncing my love for this man.

Her is a sci-fi film following Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) and his AI virtual assistant Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and the romantic relationship they develop after he downloads her software to his personal devices.

Again, I know what you're thinking.

It's definitely exactly as creepy as I'm making it sound, but it's also beautiful in its own way.  The connection of communication and technology in this movie is astounding.  The mere thought of someone being able to develop a stable relationship with something that doesn't even have a physical presence is just eerie, but boy does Phoenix play the part (and play it well... and I'm not just saying that because I'm hopelessly in love with him).

In Twombly's defense, the artificial intelligence is rendered to acquire information about the recipient in order to make their life easier.  All of the information his AI, Samantha, gains just generates a more personal connection with her and Twombly.

I understand why Twombly fell so hard and fast for Samantha, and it's not just because her only purpose was to cater to his every need.  Twombly slipped into a deep depression following his divorce from his lifelong sweetheart Catherine, so there was a big void to fill.  Desperate and in search of answers, Twombly left his heart open to Samantha.

What is fascinating about their relationship is the fact that they aren't the only ones.  In a conversation Twombly has with his close friend, they discuss how ever since the software dropped, people have been downloading it for more than just assistance, but for companionship and love.  This makes Twombly feel more comfortable about the situation he's in after doubting it for a short while.

In my opinion, I feel it's necessary to have some sort of physical attraction or presence to sustain a strong and healthy relationship.  With Twombly, he has never and will never have the opportunity to connect with Samantha in real life, and this makes her feel uneasy.  After experimenting with bringing a possible third person to represent Samantha into the relationship, both Twombly and his technological counterpart realize that is more straining than the fact that they can't physically be together.

I have some issues with this.  Clearly the entire concept of having an AI as a romantic partner is ridiculous, but attempting to put a face to the name and having it be unsuccessful poses, for me at least, a greater problem.  At some point, the lack of physical affection from one another will become harder and harder to deal with.  Regardless of how happy they may seem with each other throughout the duration of the film, holding on to a relationship for the rest of Twombly's life I feel will be unsuccessful.

To each their own, I guess.