For a long time, we have wondered, and invested in finding out whether extraterrestrial life exists. Cultural texts have grappled with this idea too – leading to some of the most beautiful stories ever told. Space exploration has been enigmatic enough to give the world films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, First Man, Ad Astra, E.T., and Solaris, among many others.
Sci-fi films almost always ask the big questions. There will be famine, what of humanity then? We need to find another habitable planet. AI can destroy our social fabric, can we stop it in its tracks? The stories are existential. They feel rushed, like states of emergency. Why is Arrival different?
Adapted from The Story of Your Life (Ted Chiang) by Eric Heisserer, Arrival is a story of learning how to communicate with aliens who have parked their unidentified flying objects in the backyards of 12 nations across the world. It revolves around linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams), who is enlisted by the United States military to figure out why these aliens are here. Banks, in a room full of men, introduces and tackles concepts of communication no one would have thought existed.
The film has several poignant themes, all helmed skillfully by director Denis Villeneuve. Perhaps the most prominent one is communication and the pitfalls of misinterpretation. In her attempts to speak to the aliens, it is almost like watching a baby being taught how to speak. She quickly finds that the aliens, termed heptapods in the film, have a visual system of communication too. She dives headfirst into learning heptapod, in the hopes of being able to ask them the big question, “What is your purpose here?” Simultaneously, after meeting the heptapods Louise is confounded by visions of a young girl addressing her as ‘Mama.’
With the parallel narrative of Louise thoroughly explaining complex things to her daughter in the future, there is ubiquity in the subject matter. In all likelihood, something has gone south for us, at least once in our lives, solely because of our inability to either understand certain things or explain our understanding of them clearly. We have not encountered aliens, but often, the assumption is that if we do, it will be a violent interaction. The assumption is that they’re more competent, and will try to wipe our race out. The plot of this film is the polar opposite: the heptapods make peaceful first contact and attempt to gift the universal language to the human race.
With sweeping master shots, and eerie, choral music, courtesy of Bradford Young and Jóhann Jóhannsson respectively, the profundity of the subject matter is never lost on the viewer. It is never frightening. Arrival is a story of hope if anything. What does grief do to us? To our abilities? Louise’s character becomes a vehicle for all of these questions, so much so that Adams’ lost-in-thought face is the most memorable thing you are left with after watching this film. Here is a woman who wakes up every single day, keeps her head down, and does her job. That doesn’t take away from her abilities to solve complex problems, with a conviction many would envy. She minds her business and never lets on that there may be a storm raging in her mind. She takes a moment and thinks on her feet. Her face is coloured with curiosity, and joy when she discovers something new.
There is an undeniable sense of superiority evident in the plot of the United States being the one to lead the world in solving this crisis. It is utopian in that the 12 nations unite to figure out how to deal with this. It is utopian in that Louise can go it alone. Fortunately, it is overshadowed by Villeneuve’s brilliant, and sensitive treatment of the subject. It also gives the plotline the freedom to ask more significant questions and deal with the emotional end of things. Perhaps, in that sense, it is apolitical.
We aren’t thrown into the deep end and perplexed by scientific terminology. The aliens are never shown as inhuman, even though they’re the farthest from being human, in the literal sense of the term. In the end, it becomes very clear that Arrival is more human in its subject matter than most films. As viewers, we are left resolved. If we knew what the future held, would we be active? Would we try to do better? Would we try to change things? Adams holds this modern masterpiece together, with her stoic expressions of pragmatism in the face of chaos. She complements the other cast and crew.
Her reaction to the situations in the film guides us on how to feel about the heptapods, their offering of a weapon and much more. Even though Louise walks us through this whole experience, there is a curiosity that never dies in the viewers. The film can form a deep connection, especially because she is a conduit for a much larger, inescapable story of making something foreign feel familiar.
Her character has immense wisdom, even in her young years to say to her daughter, “So, Hannah... This is where your story begins. The day they departed. Despite knowing the journey... and where it leads... I embrace it. And I welcome every moment of it.” She doesn’t attempt to change any bit of it. The thought doesn’t even cross her mind. There is a feeling there, that cannot be captured adequately in words, of the very reason life exists. The importance of the journey is paramount, perhaps even more so than the result.
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