
Intricate emotional layers aside, the story of “Arrival” is lucid — aliens arrive and then we
contact them and whatever follows, follows. Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a
linguist who is called in by the U.S. government when the arrival happens. One
sliced egg shaped UFO above the grasslands of Montana, and eleven more descend
at other locations around the globe. Louise, along with a physicist (played by
Jeremy Renner), is tasked with establishing contact with the visitors from far
space and decode why they are here. They meet their hosts, two giant,
squid-like beings that float on the other side of a see-through barricade. Verbal communication attempts yield complex outcomes, but written
words and images bring promising results. Communication with the creatures moves slowly, but it at least begins
to move.
But here is the
challenge. If we are trying to understand a culture fundamentally different
from our own we could not simply gather statistics, analyze grammar, and make
conclusions. We’d have to absorb a different way of seeing. We'd have to find out how words are being attached to meaning. It is here that the
movie makes us realize that language isn’t just about understanding how to say
things to someone and ascribe meaning to what comes back. It tells us language has
deeper roots in civilizations and the way they flourish and grow rather than just being a mode of communication.
The film is replete
with flow of intricacy which keeps you dangling on the verge of guessing and
taking back those guesses about the possibilities that those seem to be
opening. Toying with the danger of drowning the viewers in enigma, Villeneuve
challenges himself as a storyteller/filmmaker and he comes out with flying
colours by dosing the audience with crucial, orienting pieces of information
without any ground shattering violence or action. And a part of the movie’s
stunning brilliance must have to do with Ted Chiang’s spectacular short fiction
‘Story of Your Life’, published almost a decade ago, of which the movie is an
adaptation. Right from the moment the opening scene plays, it’s clear that
we’re in for a reflective expedition through memory, time and crushing grief.
Die hard sci-fi admirers may not soon understand the import of such a premise
in an alien invasion movie. But the story has criss-cross layers to
make you hold on despite a very slow progress and the absence of the entire over
the top stuff we have come to expect from science fiction features. The seminal
subject of fate, loss and the meaning of love are so smartly interwoven with
science that the film’s grip over you never loosens inspite of the so called
slow progress. The director’s
courage in not
sacrificing narrative for entertainment is amply rewarded when the crafted
pieces of his art suddenly come together to make sense. As one leading
journal has written, the film is a profound example of how the best movies are
those that allow the narrative and entertainment to coexist in unforced, tolerant
balance.
Imagine the conundrum
which the protagonist has to deal with. To know that if she creates a life,
it’s going to end prematurely, brutally and dissolve the cohesion of the most
priceless bonds. Yet, she embraces that future. Yet, she chooses to bring that
life into existence. Watch it grow, smile with it, play with it, and sleep with
it on the same bed, helplessly witness it wilt abruptly and die. The question
you cannot help asking yourself in that moment is should we meddle with future
if we are able to foresee it? Beyond the sci-fi narrative ‘Arrival’ makes this
tantalizing probe. But by the time you arrive at that point you’d have already
lived a brilliant unfolding of a never before experienced story about human
alien relationship. One that is far from being gory or from being driven by a motive
to annihilate or dominate. When the decisive rendezvous happens, contrary to accumulated expectations, it turns out to be meaningful instead of menacing,
meditative instead of adverse and peaceful instead of violent. You cannot help but admire with a smile the clever use of restraint with
which you have are made to experience a genre of storytelling often
characterized by conflicts of colossal proportions.
Arrival, is as has been aptly put,
a stunning science fiction drama about linguistics, aliens, and how we live
today. Chances are that after watching it you’ll come out of the theater with a lump in your
throat besides the feeling of having been overwhelmed by a rainbow of feelings .
Wow ! What a mesmerizing movie it appears to be ! Thanks for enlightening through your wonderful review. It's to be caught ASAP.
ReplyDeleteA Must Watch. Thank You for reading Jitendraji.
Deletei love science fiction movies, your review made me more interested about this one. very nicely written.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jyotirmoy. Please go and watch it. It's simply profound.
DeleteThough I am alien to aliens, your review is impactful. I am more into crimes and thrillers.
ReplyDeleteBut you gotta watch this. It isn't a typical alien invasion movie with bombastic action and thrill but it'll leave you thinking. Let us know how you felt about it if you watch it.
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