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New Scientist recommends Spike Jonze’s eerily prescient 2013 film Her

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

By Tim Boddy

22 January 2025

JOAQUIN PHOENIX as Theodore in the romantic drama

Warner Bros. Pictures

Released in 2013, Her is set in the “near future” of 2025. Since that near future is now here, I was intrigued to see how the film holds up today.

Written and directed by Spike Jonze, the melancholic, soulful sci-fi film stars Joaquin Phoenix (pictured above) as a lonely and soon-to-be divorced writer who falls in love with his operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

There are many eerily prescient minor details: expansive urban public spaces, earbud culture, men with high-waisted trousers and moustaches. But what stands out most is a nuanced and insightful take on our relationship with technology.…

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