Director Spike Jonze's science fiction romantic comedy-drama film "Her" centers on a man who develops a relationship with an intelligent computer operating system. It is the winner of the Best Screenplay at this year's Academy Awards, and our movie reviewer Laiming will explain why it deserves that prize.

Reporter:

I like director and actor Spike Jonze. His 1999 movie "Being John Malkovich" is on the list of some pretty thought-provoking films that I would offer to sober movie fans, while the "Jackass" franchise, which he had a hand in writing, is a favorite of one of my colleagues, who always takes it upon himself to cheer people up. The true talent and versatility in Spike Jonze have surprised us again and again, and his latest offering is his 2013 science fiction and romantic film, "Her".

Like "Being John Malkovich", the Oscar-winning "Her" is full of hidden messages not immediately fathomable. It follows a divorced man who develops a relationship with an intelligent computer operating system, who calls itself Samantha and has a beautiful voice, supplied by Scarlett Johansson. The OS Samantha starts by learning and imitating human emotions and eventually evolves into an intelligent being. In the same process, the extraordinary couple's relationship also goes through ups and downs.

The story explores a brilliant idea not infrequently repeated in science fiction. I am sure there is at least one Japanese or South Korean film that center on human-AI romance, but I am not sure their screenwriters have included the computers' unlimited learning abilities in the equation. Spike Jonze's screenplay challenges viewers to deliberate on the future of human-AI relations under this premise, and the conclusion is so cheerful.

But that's only because the prospect of mankind isn't cheerful, according to the director/screenwriter. A large proportion of the population in the story is spiritually cooped up in virtual reality: the monotonous coloring almost everywhere in the setting suggests the world no longer pays much attention to the physical world. And people don't seem to know how to express their feelings other than reading love letters published for sale by professional writers like our lead character.

This forms a sharp contrast to the intelligent Operating Systems that are good at learning, feeling and expressing. Scarlett Johanssen's voice gives much dimension, variety and emotions to the computer AI that it sounds much more human than its human user and lover, and such is the regrettable future that the director has envisioned for us.

"Her" is a fair warning to human's inability to feel and express and handle real emotions, as well as the irresistible sense of solitude brought on by an increasing addiction to a digitalized life. Lead actor Joaquin Phoenix and story writer Spike Jonze have skillfully convinced us about the malaise, but the cure is not likely to be found anywhere in the modern world.