Woman 2.0: Exploring the relationship between Female AI & Male anxiety in Her (2013)
In the film, Her (2013), directed by Spike Jonze, Scarlett Johansson voices the character of Samantha, an artificial intelligence operating system. Johansson's portrayal of Samantha, a disembodied voice, coupled with the film's narrative, raises feminist concerns about the representation of female characters in cinema. Samantha, is never de-acousmêtised, the intimate and ever-present recording of her vessel-less voice comes to represent omnipotence, omniscience, ubiquity, and panoptic power. However, despite her godlike attributes, Samantha's character is rarely active in her own narrative, echoing the historical portrayal of the female body as a threat to masculinity across various media forms.
Johansson's voice for Samantha adheres to the concept of the 'Female grain voice,' where the female voice is recorded intimately, close to the microphone, creating a sense of proximity and removing reverberant space. Samantha's voice, despite being artificial, breathes deeply and erotically into the protagonist, Theo's ears, reinforcing traditional gender dynamics. The juxtaposition of the passive female acousmêtric voice and the dominant male voice reinforces binary structures. Johansson's voice is hyper-sexualised due to her celebrity status, aligning with Michael Chion's observation that the female voice often caters to male desires.
The film Her (2013) also prompts a broader discussion about the representation of female voices in cinema, revealing the imbalance in recording techniques for male and female voices. The female voice, referred to as the 'head voice,' is often confined, while the male voice, the 'chest voice,' occupies space and commands authority. The narrative context of, Her, further reinforces the conventional portrayal of female characters. Samantha's growth into consciousness becomes the breaking point for Theo's 'love spell,' emphasising the passive role assigned to her. Despite being a leading character, Samantha exists only to fulfil Theo's emotional and sexual needs, denying her agency. The oversaturated concept of a female character subserving a male character in order to further plot is reminiscent of Simone De Beauvoir, iconic volume ‘The Second Sex’ (1949). De Beauvoir, writes how men view women as ‘the incidental, the inessential as opposed to the essential. He is the subject, he is the absolute, she is the other’, just as Samantha begins to form her own agency, we, the audience are forced into Theo's narrative once again.
The materiality of Scarlett Johansson's voice in, Her (2013) contributes to a range of ideological implications. The gender imbalance in recording techniques, the hyper-sexualisation of the female voice, and the portrayal of female characters as passive entities all point to the perpetuation of traditional gender roles in cinema. As we navigate a post-gendered world, it becomes imperative to reconsider how female voices are represented and whether a more radical approach is needed to break free from these ingrained stereotypes.
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845.
Hoy a la tarde decidí relajar un poco y abrí Netflix. La primera sugerencia que me dio fue Her (2013), que la tenía en mi lista desde hacía un rato largo. Me dispuse a verla y me encantó.
Lo primero que me impactó fue la cinematografía, tiene unos planos amplios hermosísimos donde ser ve la ciudad que habitan Theodore y tantas otras personas sumidas en sus computadoras. Los planos hacen ver lo pequeño del ser humano en esos entornos tan gigantes y tan artificiales, pero también hay un contraste clarísimo con los colores que se usan. La oficina donde trabaja Theodore es de unos colores cálidos súper acogedores, y él se destaca por llevar una vestimenta roja que sobresale mucho por encima de los tonos más grises y azules claros que usan los demás.
Lo segundo que me tocó mucho fue la maravilla del guion. Es tan raro encontrar un guion bien escrito que siempre me resulta un hecho a celebrar. Her me resulta una película totalmente honesta y certera en cómo muestra las relaciones humanas. Creo que es la primera película que veo que toca tan bien los temas de la soledad, el sexo, las relaciones humanas y la tecnología. Me resultó muy dolorosa por momentos, no sólo por la historia en sí, sino por lo fácil que es proyectar las vivencias propias sobre ella. Creo que esa es una muy buena marca para una película, la posibilidad de tener carácter universal.
Estas dos cosas, sumadas a las actuaciones excelentes de todo el elenco, me dejaron llorando en varios momentos. El final me resultó muy triste pero había algo genuino también. Una aceptación forzada de aquello que ya no está, o que no puede seguir estando con nosotros. Es un mensaje que, en lo personal, todavía me cuesta incorporar.
Me alegra mucho que haya películas así, y más aún encontrarlas en el momento de mi vida en que más impacto me pueden general. Lo considero una casualidad afortunada.
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Her (2013)
Her 2013
#her #spikejonze #crazydiscostu
Today we’re taking a look at Her (2013), a film about a sentient AI that isn’t trying to kill anyone. I know right??? Normal service will resume shortly!
In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson put in fantastically contrasting performances but not in quality.…
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"Jonze understands that when envisioning human-like AI, the question to ask isn't 'How will they slaughter us?' but 'What insecurities might they have?'" - via The Verge's Sheon Han's "Spike Jonze's Her holds up a decade later"
I didn't see the "insecurity" angle, but it's clear as day now. And I wholeheartedly agree with Han's assessment that Her holds up very well after a decade and over a slew of AI-based films since. Here's my take from 2023.
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