You might have heard the buzz about the new Spike Jonze movie, Her. I know, I know, you’re probably sick of hearing people explode with enthusiastic excitement about so many things that never actually end up living to the hype and only result in disappointment. Believe me, I am too (not to discount the importance of enthusiasm, because hey, enthusiasm is great! See?! I’m using enthusiastic exclamation points to prove my point! I LOVE ENTHUSIASM!). It seemed like everyone was talking about how great the new Hobbit movie was, so I had relatively high expectations, but my mindset only led to even more dissatisfaction with the cringe-worthy attempts to live up to the Lord of the Rings films. It was just pathetic that I had to force myself to sit through it.

But I’m getting off topic. I’m not here to talk about The Hobbit, I’m here to talk about her. And by her I mean Her. I like how you have to differentiate so that when talking about the film people don’t think that you’re merely referring to a rather intimidating woman who cannot be named.

So, wait, this is a movie about a man falling in love with his computer, and apparently it’s good? Well, first, it’s not a computer but an operating system, and her name is Samantha, thank you very much, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. You’re interested now, huh? In this not-too-far-into-the-future version of Los Angeles, the soon-to-be-divorced-from-Rooney-Mara-so-understandably-kind-of-sad Theodore Thwombly makes the life altering decision to buy the brand new OS that has revolutionized the industry. This is an operating system that has a consciousness, one who develops to perfectly suit your needs as it gets to know you and your life. This is how he meets her, Samantha. A somewhat peculiar, definitely unconventional, yet altogether beautiful relationship between them begins to unfold. This praise is coming from a cynic. Just watch the film because this is something that a summary cannot accurately portray. Additionally, the film itself is absolutely gorgeous—everything from the dreamy color palette to the wardrobe (though some of those pants choices with the awkward looking crotches were a little questionable) to the soundtrack (can you tell that I’m really great at reviewing movies?). I guess this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider that this is a Spike Jonze film, but still, it’s definitely worth commenting on.

This movie raised a lot of feelings about the role of physicality in relationships, and as someone who is in a long distance relationship during breaks from college, I found myself relating. When you can’t be connected through touch, it’s even more vital to have a strong mental and emotional connection that you can be sustained by. It also addresses the inevitable growing and changing of those in a relationship—when you should stay despite the shifts and when it’s best to let things go.