Her

In his solo screenwriting debut, Spike Jonze has crafted a rich yet organic futuristic world, and within it, a believable and multi-faceted love story between human and artificial intelligence. Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) works as a writer who pens personal letters to people under the guise of their loved ones (who need help articulating their feelings). The thoughtful, sweet words he produces at work are contrasted by his own loneliness and reluctance to finalise his divorce with childhood sweetheart Catherine (Rooney Mara). Things change when he purchases an artificially intelligent operating system, which names herself Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson); they become closer, eventually falling in love and committing to a relationship.

Her is about finding connections - how humans connect with other humans, what role technology plays in those connections and how humans connect with technology itself. It's also about what happens when those connections break down, or challenge societal norms. We see Theodore and Samantha confronting issues regarding 'human' things such as insecurity, intimacy and jealousy, as well as the fact that she is a disembodied consciousness – albeit one that learns and grows with each experience and evolves into an entity with unique thoughts and emotions. Strong, charismatic performances, vivid cinematography and an arresting score by Arcade Fire complement the detailed production design, all of which solidify the wondrous, hyper-modernised cityscape that Jonze has painstakingly realised. While Her might comment on romance and dating in our constantly shifting, modern technological age - and question the definition and boundaries of a relationship - at its crux the film captures how love can build, flourish, fade and devastate, and how we go on living life and doing it all over again.