I recently watched the film Arrival. Directed by Denis Villeneuve and based on a short story by Ted Chiang, the film tells the story of a Linguistics professor (Amy Adams) and a theoretical physicist (Jeremy Renner) working with the government to determine the purpose of their "visitors."
I was not very interested in the beginning; I was not entirely sure that the film was going to be particularly entertaining. I was getting vibes similar to 'Interstellar', but not quite as emotionally draining. I watched as the characters, particularly Amy Adams' character, learned about herself, time, and what is truly valuable in life.
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While I will not give anything away, I will say that the film presents a unique perspective on the idea of time and what the future may have in store for all of us. The aliens visiting Earth in the film, who are extremely intelligent beings, do not appear initially hostile, although (surprise surprise) everyone's first instinct is to think that they have come to blow up the Earth.
This film instilled a sense of hope in me (one that was probably much needed after the recent Presidential election): hope in myself, hope in the good will of others, and hope in a global future. It reassured me that things in life really do happen for a reason. As a practicing Catholic, I believe that God has a plan for every individual. That plan may not include things we want to deal with, like heartbreak, suffering, and death, but He has a plan nonetheless.
Arrival raises several important questions about the treatment of outsiders and the danger of making assumptions. It also addresses the idea that those in ultimate positions of power are not always right; for example, had everything been left up to the enforcer Agent Halpern (Michael Stuhlberg), the aliens would have been eliminated as soon as they were given concerning responses to questions.
The film also demonstrates the importance of working together, as well as the danger that looms when division is present, specifically among people of other nations and the United States. At one point in the film, countries refuse to share information with one another, and the potential consequences would have near-disastrous affects for every nation. Without unity and a foundation of trust, how can people expect nations to join together for common goals.?
Finally, Arrival promotes ideas of open communication and peace. "Language is the first weapon drawn in a conflict," Renner reads from Amy Adam's character's book. We are always intimidated and concerned about that which we do not understand; when we find we cannot understand it, those fears grow, and we wonder whether or not it is worth the effort.
Newsflash: it is.
People cannot expect to advance as a global community if they refuse to make an effort to keep an open mind and work to understand others. God forbid if aliens really were to arrive on this Earth tomorrow, I am not so confident that people would be very prepared to deal with them because of divisions among each other. We can only hope, and because of its encouraging sense of hope, I highly recommend this film.
"Hope is the only thing stronger than fear."
