After watching “Her” straight through three full times, I realized a few things.
I wanted to dislike it.
I really did.
I didn’t like the memories that it evoked. They were deeply personal. Some (most) I still haven’t dealt with. But, something in it made the shit within me that I’ve pushed down be ok; normal.
Maybe it is because I’m lucky enough to have a wife that is truly wonderful.
Maybe it is because I have a kid on the way.
Either way, I decided to let “Her” flow, and these are the conclusions I’ve come to:
Yes, it is a relationship story.
Yes, a person’s ID bounds through them like a drunken steer.
Yes, physical intimacy (be it the transcendence of physical/physical or mental/physical) fundamentally changes interpersonal relations within the two peoples (or person and a thing in this case) are involved.
Yes, we always want what we can’t have.
Yes, we shouldn’t get what we want.
Yes, the idea of ourselves creating our own individually perfect mate is wholly flawed. What I mean is, the mate that we create is still as tangibly real as the emotive idealisms we use to create them. If you think about it, those ideals are slightly sociopathic (when in relation to ID).
Yes, love is (thankfully) tough.
Yes, anime has dealt with this storyline but it is ok for the Western world to deal with it on its own terms.
ANYWAY: Watch it. Feel your own guff. It is a wonderful thing. As we all are (under the proper lighting).
The Trent Wilkie 