Film & seriesListening4 min
Her — Listening is also a way of being there
An editorial reading of Spike Jonze's film about attention, urban loneliness and what it means to feel heard.
Translated from the Spanish original. Read the original
Beyond its technological premise, the film can be read as a portrait of attention. Its protagonist lives surrounded by voices and yet seems hungry for just one thing: for someone to be truly there on the other side.
This reading doesn't try to solve the film or draw a moral from it. It suggests looking at it as a mirror that is kind and uncomfortable at once: it shows how much we value being heard, and how little we sometimes practise listening.
For us, technology does not replace the human voice; at its best, it can bring two people close enough that they start talking to each other.
Context
Her (2013) was written and directed by Spike Jonze. The image accompanying this text is an original illustrative photograph, not a still from the film.
A question, if you like
When did you last feel heard without having to explain yourself too much?
The conversation
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