A new trailer for Spike Jonze's Her captures some of the film's magic without ruining any of the hidden treats.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as a lonely soul who is still getting over the dissolution of his marriage to Rooney Mara. He buys a new operating system with advanced artificial intelligence -- think Skynet in the Terminator movies, but without the impulse to stamp out humanity -- and falls in love with it / her, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.
When it played at the New York Film Festival, our own Dustin Chang gave it a very positive review (linked below), but the premise sounded nuts to me, even if the story is set in the near future. But then I saw it at an advance screening and was completely caught up by a romantic movie that is haunting and bittersweet, and quite insightful about relationships. Phoenix is remarkably affecting, and Johansson gives what may be her best performance to date.
The movie opens in limited release in the U.S. on December 18 and expands nationwide on January 10. You can watch the new trailer below.