Abstract:
In contemporary cinema, the cyborg, part human, part non-human, is a widely used thematic trope. Cinematic masterpieces like 'Blade Runner' and 'Ghost in the Shell' feature cyborgs that are distinguished as mechanic humanoids, their identity clearly set off against the human. Spike Jonze's 'Her' makes it somewhat harder to distinguish Samantha's machine-ness in the face of humanity. What makes Samantha human? What makes her a machine? What is a body in a posthuman, denaturalized society? To answer these questions, I will use the work of Rosi Braidotti and compare the cyborgs of Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' and Mamoru Oshii's 'Ghost in the Shell' and Samantha in Spike Jonze's 'Her'.
