The film will be introduced by Lisa Bastian. She is an Assistant Professor for Ethics and Political Philosophy within the Philosophy Department. Prior to joining the VU in 2020, she obtained her PhD at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Her work focusses on questions surrounding rationality, reasons, and norms.
Her
The year is 2025. Los Angeles introvert Theodore Twombly is walking with his soul under his arm because of the break-up with his wife Catherine. One day in a mall, he sees a rather interesting product: a self-learning and intelligent operating system, including a virtual assistant, for everything computer-controlled in the house. He purchases it and decides to give the assistant a female voice, she calls herself Samantha. Even though Samantha is nothing more than ones and zeros, a warm and very personal relationship develops between her and Theodore. But is he the only one?
We already knew that director Spike Jonze can make films as strange as they are original since Being John Malkovich. With Her, he gives a very special twist to the theme of the relationship between man and machine. It earned him numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore, while Scarlett Johansson lends her voice to Samantha.
