Review: "Arrival"'s Unexpected Beauty
"That felt like Interstellar met Tree of Life." So spoke my little brother as my family filed out the theater, having watched Dennis Villeneuve's Arrival. Though my brother has never actually seen the entirety of the latter of the two movies he used as reference points, I thought it an adept analogy. The elements of science fiction and mystery that a moviegoer might expect were undoubtedly present. And yet, the themes of relationship, peace and interconnectedness meant the film played as much as a romance as anything else.
Make no mistake about it, Arrival is undoubtedly a sci-fi, futuristic movie. Set in America at an undisclosed timeline, the story features Professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and her attempts to make a connection with aliens that have come to Earth, in 12 locations across the globe. She is a renowned linguist who, as we learn, has been called on by the Federal Government in previous crises. She is partnered with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), and the film's presentation of the roles of science and language is an interesting one. How would we interact with extraterrestrial creatures should they come to our planet? Would we instantly resort to fear and violence? Would we go in search of scientific explanations? Or would we, as Arrival suggests, endeavor to first communicate with the visitors in some way? Without giving too much plot away, I will say that the film considers the ramifications of all these courses of actions, displaying the sadly inevitable political fallings-out, as well as the scientific 'block' in trying to reach the aliens. It instead steers the viewer towards recognizing the power not just of language, but of reconstructive learning, of mutual understanding.
Lest you think that this film is merely academic, however, do not be fooled; Arrival stands out from any forerunners in how deeply personal of a story it turns out to be. The movie begins, ends, and is spattered throughout with scenes of Professor Banks and her daughter. We know that she has lost her daughter, but we do not yet know the weight of her pain, nor the influence this truth has on the story. In addition, we see in plain sight the relationship between Banks and Donnelly taking shape, a partnership that ultimately develops beyond academia. Again, I will hold off on revealing any major plot points here, but know that emotional connection holds a surprisingly significant place in Arrival.
That is what makes this extraterrestrial story feel inherently human. It is what makes this film unexpectedly relevant in such turbulent socio-political times; one will be hard-pressed to find a more abstract, sophisticated, yet clear call for unity elsewhere in cinema. Never forget what we can learn from those wildly different from us. Never forget what we can teach them in return. Never forget our capacity to love, even when it defies all logic and explanation.