Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-23790511-20150129221847

Yeah, this is probably an unexpected thing for me to ask given how I'm usually either talking about games or criticizing something, but recent revelations have provoked me into asking you all what piece of fiction... be it movie, show, video game etc... brought you either to tears or made you reevaluate aspects of your life. Don't feel embarrassed to confess because if an A-hole like me is willing and proud to admit that something brought me sobbing my eyes out, then I'm sure you'll be fine.

That thing that brought me to tears was "Her" directed by Spike Jonze, and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson.

This movie... it fucking DRAINED me. Set in the near-future, the story is that Phoenix plays as Theodore, an introverted nerd of a man who works at a business that writes love letters to and for people who are too lazy or unable to write them themselves. Facing both loneliness and an inevitable divorce, he buys an advanced OS (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) that acts as both a organizer and emotional support. As the AI is capable of learning and evolving, she names herself Samantha and the two bond and eventually enter a relationship.

I've grown up fascinated by media, the Internet, and games to the point where I almost feel more attached to that world than the real one. I spend the majority of my time alone and, like many, have gone through cycles of emotional turmoil where the only acceptance I felt I would gain would be from a virtual world. And the movie can be looked at from that standpoint where it's just advanced, strange love that is reminiscent of our growing fondness for technology or you could view it as a pathetic man who dates a computer because it's easier... which is what an ignorant fuck would feel.

Saying anything of the plot would ruin the experience for yourself. Just know that the relationship between Ted and Samantha is up there with greatest romances of all times, and the atmosphere and sheer mood of this film are phenomenal. The art design team knocked it out of the park with this minimalist future world. The music is synth mixed with appropriate moments of piano at just the perfect times, and the lighting and cinematography are top notch.

The adorable and heartfelt dialogue between Theodore and Samantha in conjunction with the soothing soundtrack had me in tears the majority of the film because of how relatable it was to me. It was tears of all sorts: happiness for how Ted found joy and comfort in Samantha, bittersweet for Samantha as she learned more and experimented with human relationships and importantly music, and just plain sadness when the plot takes some bumpy roads which eventually accumulates into the most heartfelt and somber ending I've ever seen my whole life.

I could go on and on and on about how much I love "Her" and how it hits me right in the feels. It's a wonderful film that deserves your time if youre ever curious, and I sure do hope you get curious. So please, now that I've exposed my emotional side, you go in and do the same. ;) 