We like to think of things in our lives as fitting into a nice square box. Everything has an order, with the structured days of the week to our routines fitting into this comforting perspective. We do not want to think of life as being random, chaotic and lacking a straightforward linear form – as it reminds us that things are not truly in our control. It is this linear way of thinking that is questioned in the 2016 cerebral science fiction film Arrival.
Eric Heisserer adapts the text “The Story of Your Life” (written by Ted Chiang), placing it in the hands of talented French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve. Having a twofold narrative, the main portion follows the landing of twelve spacecrafts in random places around the world. With people beginning to panic and riot (as no indication has been made, either peaceful or otherwise), the government attempts to make some sense out of the unorthodox and exceptional arrival. Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) reaches out to linguist Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a woman with immense knowledge of numerous dialects and written languages (and military clearance to boot). She leads a team along with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), the Colonel, and several other military men who will record the data after they enter the hull of the dark, kidney-shaped foreign craft located in Montana.
Utilizing a real set instead of computer effects, the eerie tunnel, when mixed with the uncanny score (written by Jóhann Jóhannsson) that includes otherworldly voice work and unusual use of the piano – the reverb following the note makes us feel like the composition has no beginning or ending, provides us with a palpable atmosphere.
When we do see the aliens, they are nothing like us – seven legged octopus-type creatures coined ‘heptapods’. They have a voice unlike anything we’ve ever heard, and use an ink-like substance (that propels from an appendage) to communicate in a circular pattern that has no linear form. During one of their meetings, Donnelly suggests that they name the two aliens Abbott and Costello – a fitting suggestion, as there is a major lack in communication, much like many of the comedy duo’s famous sketches (most memorably “Who’s on First”).
With the world on high alert, country begins to mistrust country, and soon each location is going dark to keep the information they are learning and the actions they are planning secret. There are rumblings that the Chinese and other countries are planning on attacking the spaceships, placing Earth in a more than dire situation. Can Banks solve the complex language problem, finding a way to communicate with the creatures, thereby halting the worldwide emergency?
Taking an in depth look at the perspective of whether it is better to have love and lost than to never have loved at all, the second story slowly unfurls as we learn of the death of Banks’ daughter Hannah (played by three actresses over the course of her life). It explains the sorrow, pain and overly protective inward nature of Banks (it seems like she puts up walls, internalizing so very much). As the linguist delves into the complicated language puzzle, she starts to question the linear way in which we live, pondering the possibility that things do not necessarily flow in this organized manner.
Though viewers will likely see some connections to other brainy science fiction films (think 2001: A Space Odyssey; Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Contact; Interstellar), Arrival finds its own original ground and leaves its audience with a thoughtful message about love and life. On top of the strong performances (Adams is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress), it also features striking, magical visuals that capture the otherworldly nature of science fiction. Villeneuve concocts a multi-layered viewing experience that is sure to challenge and envelop viewers in an aura of mystery and wonder – which has elevated it to one of the nine movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. Though the premise may seem to suggest that the writing’s on the wall, don’t give in to the fatalistic vibe, accept what is to come in this palindromic-type of movie.