There’s obviously a lot to think about here but I wonder if anyone else felt that the issue of monogamy and the inability of an emotionally ‘normal’ individual to conduct a meaningful relationship with more than one person at a time was somehow being brought into question in this movie?
Take for example Samantha’s confession that she was simultaneously romantically involved with how many hundred other individuals and Theodore’s incredulous reaction. Despite some apparent feelings of guilt she didn’t seem to feel this constituted a serious issue. This may have been intended to illustrate that despite her depth of understanding she still fails quite badly as a human facsimile in some critical areas. Instead I wonder if our own poorly understood preference for a serious relationship to be a monogamous one is somehow a genetic carryover with increasingly less relevance to the modern world. Perhaps it’s possible to see Samantha’s exchange with Theodore as an indictment of our anachronistic relationship ideals.
Is it possible to love more than one person a time? Certainly for Samantha it didn’t appear to be a problem. Various theories abound as to why monogamy exists as an ideal but if we were to perhaps consider the need to focus our energies in order to raise children as being a prime reason then perhaps this isn’t as important as it once was. I’d have to watch the film again to be sure but there appeared to be a definite lack of children or even family in this future. Obviously there are no shortage of people so somebody somewhere is making them but if the notion of the nuclear family has been replaced by some other means of reproduction and raising children then maybe the manner in which we court and form bonds with each other will also eventualy evolve.
With the widespread use of dating apps etc these days, the traditional boy meets girl etc scenario is perhaps even now becoming boy meets multiple girls and continues to do so. If person A brings this to a relationship and person B brings something else then Samantha’s idea of taking what you need and constantly evolving is perhaps possible or even likely in a world where we are removed from the constraints of reproduction and child raring in a traditional sense. Or maybe not. Anyway, just something that piqued my interest.