I loved Her and I really liked this, but reading so much into how each movie was a reflection on Spike and Sofia’s marriage and divorce really changed whatever experience I would’ve had watching this. 

On its own, this movie is brilliant. Bill and Scarjo (prepping for her star-making turn in Ghost in the Shell here) give such believable, compassionate performances here. Sofia Coppola is obviously a fantastic director and screenwriter and she’s at the top of her game. Although this movie is presented and overall thought of as a love story, I didn’t really feel that. I saw it being about lonely souls who go through an emotional affair with each other. There’s nothing physical going on, but there’s that connection between them that drives the movie. A mutual understanding of each other above all. 

Going into this, I expected Her. The warmth, the colors, Scarjo’s raspy voice, the distinct cinematography. I didn’t get all that and because of that, I couldn’t really enjoy this on its own merits which wasn’t fair to what Coppola’s done. This movie shows a different side of melancholy, a different loneliness, a different affair, a different view of a damaged relationship and marriage, so it’s unfair to expect the same from both. This is distinctively Sofia’s movie and Her is clearly Spike’s. They are definitely companion movies but run parallel to each other, only occasionally intersecting with some themes and motifs. 

I’m planning on watching this again when Her is out of my mind because I’m almost positive I’ll end up bumping it up a few stars.