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Much has been written about the recent surge in personal stories being told through the horror genre in films like “It Follows,” “The Witch,” and “The Babadook,” but there’s an equally interesting trend occurring in the science fiction genre as well. In films like “It Follows,” “The Witch,” and “The Babadook,” personal stories are being told through the horror genre in films like “It Follows.” Recently, we’ve seen the genre used, not only to examine the power of space travel or the future of humanity after the end of the world, but also as a way to address common humanity in a way that goes beyond the traditional futuristic adventure story. Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious and moving “Arrival” joins films like “Gravity,” “Interstellar,” and “The Martian” as films about the day the universe changed forever. The film is about the day the universe changed forever but becomes more focused on a single story even as it expands its worldwide narrative. It is a film that raises questions about grief, time, communication, and compassion rather than about warp speed, and it is a film that asks them. What is the best way to approach something that scares us? What is the significance of communicating through language rather than action? The final act of “Arrival” delves into the big ideas of life, which I won’t spoil here, but viewers should be aware that Villeneuve’s film is not the box-office hit that Ridley Scott’s “The Martian” was at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. An attempt has been made to simultaneously challenge, move, and elicit conversation from the audience in this film. The majority of the time, it is successful.
In the lead role of Louise, Amy Adams gives a confident and moving performance as a linguistics expert who is called in on the day that 12 unidentified flying objects enter Earth’s orbit. Despite what they’re telling the public—which isn’t much at first—the governments of the world have made their first contact with the creatures inside, which appear to be a cross between an octopus and a giant hand created by some higher power. As part of her research, Louise collaborates with the military and a scientist named Ian (Jeremy Renner) to find the answer to a very simple question: What do you want? The Heptapods, as they are eventually dubbed, communicate through sounds that at times resemble whale noises, but Louise quickly learns that written language is the most effective method of communication, even if it means deciphering the complicated way the interstellar tourists write. Even as she gets closer and closer to being able to communicate that crucial question in a way that it (and its answer) will be understood, the world’s unease continues to grow stronger. The question is whether man’s protective instinct will kick in before the world’s scientists and language experts can figure out how to stop it.
Louise, like everyone else, has dark times in her life. Beginning with the birth of a child, the film follows the child through his brief life and death. A quiet but effective emotional undercurrent runs through Adams’ performance as Louise, and it is essential to the film’s success that she does. This is a film that can become a little too sterile at times, but Adams is always there to keep things grounded. In part due to Villeneuve’s use of minimal CGI, Adams is able to perform her tasks in a manner that feels natural. There’s a lot going on in this character’s mind and heart, especially in the twisty final act, and Adams could have “gone big” with this performance, but it’s actually one of the more subtle and internal sci-fi movie performances I’ve ever witnessed. In fact, it is a testament to the success of “Arrival” that people will remember her face, rather than the impressive alien ship/creature design, when they see the film.
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Villeneuve, as he has demonstrated recently, understands the importance of surrounding himself with talented individuals. In this case, two of the film’s unquestionable MVPs are cinematographer Bradford Young, the visionary behind films such as “Selma” and “A Most Violent Year,” and composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who both worked on the film. Throughout the film, the music of the latter is essential to every emotional beat, defining the atmosphere of tension in the first half of the film as well as the moving undercurrents of the final act. It is Young’s tactile approach that makes this unnatural story feel genuine, as he draws inspiration from the natural world. We may not be able to relate fully to Louise’s story, but the image of a child running through a field is one that we can appreciate. Young’s imagery is fluid, as opposed to the choppy blockbuster cinematography that we’re accustomed to seeing in science fiction and fantasy films. Finally, unlike the factory-produced blockbusters we’ve been seeing lately, it feels like everything here is part of a single vision: cinematography, direction, acting, score, and so on.
Arrival Quiz
While all of this is true, “Arrival” falters in the middle, at which point it may lose some of its audience permanently. Despite the fact that the “first contact” act is undeniably confident and the final thematically purposeful sequences of the film are stunningly ambitious, the pace of “Arrival” becomes a little too soft in the middle, and the sterility of the piece becomes apparent. Although it is impossible to say anything about what happens in the final act without giving anything away, maintaining the shock value of those twists forces some narrative decisions in the middle section that keep us observers to the action of the film when we are ready to be participants. Even though Villeneuve is a talented director, this film lacks the kind of fire and passion that would have allowed it to hit the emotional and philosophical high points of the final scenes more effectively. As things stand, we frequently feel as if we are behind the barrier that Louise uses to communicate with the extraterrestrial creatures she refers to as Abbott and Costello. In the same way that she desires, we are eager to remove the equipment and step behind that screen.
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Having said that, this is an ambitious and accomplished piece of filmmaking that deserves to be seen by a larger audience. In this film, viewers are forced to consider what it is that truly defines us as human beings and the impact that grief has on our timeline of existence. At its best, and in large part thanks to Adams’ performance, the film proposes that we’ve all experienced those days when communication breaks down and fear of the unknown takes hold of our minds. And it is the most resilient among us who persevere, who get back up after being knocked down, and who repair what has been damaged.
About the quiz
This review first appeared on our website on September 10, 2016, as part of our coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival.Also, you must try to play this Arrival quiz.
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