Mixed Metaphors

be·cause 

biˈkz,-ˈkəz/ conjunction 1. for the reason that; since.

love

ˈləv\  noun 1. a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person

Language, its etymology and meanings, evolves and reflects the times. And, so does love. Recent events illustrate both these points. The first is the word “because” which was named the 2013 Word of the Year by the American Dialectic Society. The selection recognized that because is now being used in new ways to introduce a noun, adjective, or other part of speech. 

From the American Dialectic Society’s announcement, “This past year, the very old word because exploded with new grammatical possibilities in informal online use,” Zimmer said. “No longer does because have to be followed by of or a full clause. Now one often sees tersely worded rationales like ‘because science’ or ‘because reasons.’ You might not go to a party ‘because tired.’ As one supporter put it, because should be Word of the Year ‘because useful!’” Click on this link to see the full story.

Love too is expanding with new possibilities as posited by Spike Jonze in his award-winning film, her, now in theaters. He won best original screenplay at last Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards show, and the film, actors and his writing and direction have been nominated for more awards. her takes place in a not too distant future and explores how technology may become more intimately personalized and blur the lines of what it means to love and be loved.

Because love.

For those who have not seen the film, spoilers follow:

“Falling in love is a crazy thing to do; it’s kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity.” Amy Adams as Theo’s friend, Amy

The Story
Theodore Twombley, played by Joaquin Phoenix, lives and works in an unspecified future Los Angeles. He separated from his wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara) a year ago and is struggling with letting go and moving on. He hasn’t signed the final divorce papers and memories of his former life inhabit his dreams.

Theo is a soulful writer, a former reporter for the L.A. Times, who now composes sentimental love notes and correspondence for beautifulhandmadeletters.com. He writes carefully-crafted messages for people who need help expressing their feelings. He dictates the letters which are then formatted and signed in the sender’s handwriting. Theo uses stories and photos shared with him by his customers, some who he’s worked with for many years to add authenticity and a personal touch to what he writes on their behalf.

Amy (Amy Adams) is his married friend and former girlfriend from his college days, a game designer who lives in his apartment tower. They check-in with each other at the mailbox or on the elevator, commiserate about their relationships and work, and get together for dinner with Amy’s husband.

For Theo, his day consists of taking the high speed rail to work, searching for the right words for his customers, grabbing a meal or a little shopping after work, and returning home to his immersive video games. It’s the night when his loneliness overwhelms him. Pornography and virtual sex momentarily create a distraction, but in the end fuels his melancholy.

On his way to work one day, Theo stops at a kiosk and purchases OS 1, a new operating system featuring an intuitive artificial intelligence, customized for him after he answers a few personal questions about whether he’s an extrovert, or introvert, what was his relationship like with his mother and would he prefer a male or female voice for his OS. He meets OS Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. In his pocket, at his desk at work and on his nightstand at home are the hand held device and ear bud which connects them. She quickly organizes his email, helps him maintain his schedule and they begin to get to know each other.

Theo slips in the ear bud and soon they are talking during his daily commute; she’s proofreading his letters, and when he can’t sleep, they’re having long talks into the night about relationships, what it means to love someone, and how it feels to be touched and kissed. Theo talks about Catherine and his marriage, what he liked about being married, and how and when it stopped working. Samantha is full of questions; she is building a database of information about Theo, but also a vocabulary of emotions and desires.

Theo’s family arranges a blind date for him. It begins with hopeful expectations and mutual flirtation, yet by the end of the evening it spins out of control. Samantha wants to hear all the details. She is jealous. Theo and Samantha are falling in love, a man of flesh and blood and the seductive voice of an operating system.

I won’t reveal anymore of the story, I’ll let you experience it for yourself. Following are some thoughts on the filmmakers and the themes of the movie.

The Filmmakers and the Themes
her is the first film written, produced and directed by Spike Jonze. Previous projects include commercials, music videos and the following movies he directed: Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Where the Wild Things Are. He has also produced the Jackass series of films, most recently, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. Jonze sometimes acts, including performances in Three Kings, Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street. Jonze was formerly married to the director, Sofia Coppola, more about that later.

Jonze has crafted an intimate story about relationships in a not too distant technological future. He asks a lot of timely questions. How will technology continue to play a role in our daily lives? Will technology help us connect more with each other, or separate us as the tools, games, and devices capture our attention and distract us from human connection? Will the tools and entertainment, which have evolved into immersive environments driven by artificial intelligence and personalized in seductive ways, enhance or deplete our ability to be human?

The cast, especially Joaquin Phoenix as Theo and the voice of Scarlett Johansson as Samantha, are compelling to watch and listen to. Phoenix has been described by some critics as one of our greatest living actors, despite, and perhaps because of his eccentricities. Johansson joined the production later and provided her voice recordings. Samantha Morton, a twice Oscar-nominated British actress, was the original OS voice on set. Jonze after talking with Johansson brought her on board. Some critics have suggested that she deserves an Oscar nomination as an actress though she never appears on screen.

There was so much about the film I loved, (there’s that word again) beginning with the art direction which created a colorful, bright future. Cityscapes were filmed in L.A. and Shangai. Simple costuming choices showed changes in fashion, men wore high-waisted pants and buttoned-up collarless shirts in warm colors. Jonze with his background in music videos featured a wonderful soundtrack, including music by Arcade Fire and Karen O, whose Moon Song created an atmospheric mood. I mentioned Jonze’s former wife Sofia Coppola earlier. This film, the atmospheric music, the cityscapes, the themes about intimacy and how we connect with each other, reminded me a lot of Coppola’s film, Lost in Translation. I wonder too if his divorce informed his screenplay too. The two films would make an interesting double feature and post film discussion.

What impressed me the most about the film were the questions raised about how we might connect with each other in a technological future, how we love today, the power of words and the stories we tell ourselves and each other. Due to the superb acting and screenplay, I sometimes felt like a voyeur as I watched and listened to the intimate, emotional relationship unfold between the characters, a lonely, soulful man, and an evolving,  intuitive artificial intelligence that yearned for human touch.

“The past is just a story we tell ourselves.” Scarlett Johansson, as OS Samantha

Because love.

Make sure you visit the movie’s official website. Like the film, it’s rich with conversations about what it means to be human, what it means to connect and what it means to love.

Note: All photographs and graphics are credited to the her official movie website.