Her

Her Literary Elements

Director

Spike Jonze

Leading Actors/Actresses

Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde

Genre

Romance, Science-fiction, Drama

Language

English

Awards

Nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Original Score, Best Original Song, and Best Production Design

Date of Release

December 18, 2013

Producer

Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, and Vincent Landay

Setting and Context

The near future, Los Angeles

Narrator and Point of View

From the point of view of Theodore Twombly

Tone and Mood

Bleak, Romantic, Scientific, Lonely, Solemn, and Sad

Protagonist and Antagonist

Theodore Twombly vs. Himself

Major Conflict

The major conflict is between Theodore and himself, particularly his loneliness and desire to have a steady partner, which he thinks he can find in the artificial Samantha.

Climax

The climax of the film is when Samantha leaves Theodore with the other operating systems.

Foreshadowing

When Samantha tells Paul, Theodore, and Tatiana that she is happy not to have a body, this foreshadows the fact that she is becoming less invested in the human world and more detached from Theodore.

Understatement

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

Though not exceptionally innovative, the film is exceptionally well-shot. Director Spike Jonze and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema did not want the film to look dystopian, but rather be "kind of a hybrid between being a little bit conceptual and being very theoretical," according to Hitflix. The also wanted to eliminate the color blue.

Allusions

Allusions to popular culture, various operating systems, dating, greeting card companies, and philosophy.

Paradox

Theodore finds companionship and love even though he is still spending a lot of time alone.

Parallelism