As we're well into the 21st century now it seems as if films are reflecting on our growing reliance on technology. The two films in this post look at our obsession with technology both from the creation of an online device that most of us use on a daily basis and by predicting how gadgets may take over our lives in the future.
We start with The Social Network, a film that is based on the creation of Facebook; a tool which nearly everyone utilises on a daily basis. David Fincher's film is based on the book 'The Accidental Billionaires' which tells the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his then friend Eduardo Saverin. The film starts with Zuckerberg attempting to get over a bitter separation from his girlfriend by hacking into Harvard University's various databases and ranking pictures of the female students. This stunt gets him into trouble with the university's board but also earns him the respect of the Winklevoss twins; rowing brothers who are looking to start a social networking site exclusive to Harvard. Building on this idea, Zuckerberg enlists Eduardo's help to build 'The Facebook', which is based on a similar idea to the Winklevoss' one albeit from the mind of Mark. As the film progresses, Mark and Eduardo's success heightens until they get the attention of Napster founder Sean Parker. Parker's involvement with Facebook puts Mark and Eduardo at odds with the latter jealous of the former's new friendship with the smooth-talking hipster. Very cleverly, Aaron Sorkin frames his screenplay around two depositions that Zuckeberg is currently embarking on. In one Zuckerberg is being sued by the Winklevoss twins for stealing their idea and in the other Eduardo is attempting to get back the shares that were unfairly taken from him. This allows the characters to talk in exposition without it ever feeling like the plot is simply being explained to us. The final scene is also brilliantly done as Sorkin seems to say that Zuckerberg started Facebook because he wanted to get a girl's attention.
There's so much to like about The Social Network it's hard to know where to start but I think we should start with a man called Aaron Sorkin. After Moneyball and now The Social Network I've come to the decision that I could watch films written by Sorkin all day. Here Sorkin is able to make technical speak and legal jargon seem exciting and turns a generally unlikeable nerd into someone we want to root for. Sorkin earned a deserved Oscar for his work on The Social Network as did editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall who make the use of algorithms seem vaguely interesting. The Social Network's other Oscar win was for its original score which was composed by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Reznor's selection of tracks for different scenes was absolutely perfect with the central theme being particularly memorable. I also felt that The Social Network marked a return to form for David Fincher after the incredibly sappy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The then relatively unknown Jesse Eisenberg was catapulted into the mainstream thanks to his role as Zuckberg. Eisenberg dealt well with Sorkin's fast-paced dialogue and I for one found that he succeeded in explaining Zuckberg's various motives. Whilst Eisenberg earned an Oscar nomination for his role in the film, Andrew Garfield didn't which I feel is an oversight. Garfield's Eduardo is the emotional core of the film and the actor's wide-eyed portrayal of this genuinely nice guy perfectly balanced Eisenberg's more manic tone. If there was one complaint I had about The Social Network then it was the way that women were represented as most seem to either be crazy girlfriends or party-goers who would strip off at a moment's notice. Rashida Jones' junior law partner and Rooney Mara's jilted girlfriend were the only female characters who seemed remotely well-drawn and I think that's a shame in a film that's almost completely faultless.
While The Social Network dealt with the creation of a piece of technology that would later take over our lives, it didn't display how obsessed we'd get with Facebook itself. Conversely in Spike Jonze's Her, the main concept is how one day technology could be in our lives so much that we begin to fall in love with it. Obviously this surreal concept could only come from the man who'd previously directed such surreal hits as Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Unlike those two films, both of which were written by Charlie Kauffman, Jonze was going solo here with his script for Her ultimately winning the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. The film's protagonist Theodore is a contradiction in that he is able to write sentimental letters in the voices of other people but is rarely able to voice his own emotions. Theodore's attempts at a proper relationship have resulted in divorce and, when we first meet him, he's almost completely reliant on his computer. When he learns that he can personally tailor a new Operating System he jumps on board and soon buys a female voiced OS named Samantha. Samantha quickly becomes the most stable relationship in Theodore's life and the former starts to develop human characteristics. Soon Samantha and Theodore begin a sexual relationship but as he soon learns there's only so far you can go with a disembodied voice. When Samantha hires a sex surrogate, Theodore becomes uneasy as he can't associate the woman in front of him with the voice of Samantha. From there their relationship becomes strained as she tries to solve her identity crisis whilst he decides whether he can date an OS. Theodore's decision is ultimately made for him and the film ends in a rather predictable manner, which is a shame as I felt it had a lot of good ideas.
With the rise of people using Siri on their iphones and engaging with technology on a regular basis, Her doesn't seem like that much of a far-fetched idea. The over-reliance on technology is something that Jonze establishes early on in the film as he gives the notion that in the future we'll spend more time talking to computers than we will with each other. I have to say that I didn't buy into the romance between Theodore and Samantha as I found these segments quite hard to handle. I instead was rooting for Theodore to settle down with his sweet-natured colleague Amy who later develops a friendship with another OS. Her's main issue is the fact that I didn't really care for Theodore all that much and found him to be quite an awkward character to like. As Jonze has created a character that struggles to interact in social situations I think it's a hard ask for us to warm to a man who is quite cold. The only thing not putting me off Theodore altogether is the strong performance given by Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix injects a certain sort of nervous energy into Theodore that at least makes understand some of his character's decisions. Phoenix must also be applauded for convincingly interacting with a character who isn't present as he expertly portrays Theodore's interactions with Samantha. Scarlett Johansson is equally impressive as the automated voice who secretly longs to have a body in order to be with the man she supposedly loves. Johansson's sultry tones perfectly bring Sam to life and as a result you utterly buy the fact that Theodore falls in love with her. The supporting players are less well-served with character development with Rooney Mara turning up once again her as Theodore's ex-wife whilst Amy Adams gives a one-note turn as Amy. The futuristic design of Her is another positive aspect as is Arcade Fire's score and Karen O's 'Moon Song'. It's fair to say that Her is full of good ideas but not all of them are successfully realised and what you end up getting is a film that is sometimes too quirky for its own good.
Next up more dystopian nightmares this time with a side serving of crustaceans.
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