Arrival (2016)
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A linguist is recruited by the military to communicate with extraterrestrial visitors before tensions lead to war.
The story
When twelve extraterrestrial spacecraft land across the globe, the United States military recruits linguist Louise Banks and physicist Ian Donnelly to establish communication with the visitors. As they attempt to decipher the complex language of the 'heptapods' aboard a craft in Montana, the team must work against time and rising international tensions. While the military prepares for potential conflict, Banks begins to experience strange, vision-like memories. The core of the conflict lies in the difficulty of interpreting the aliens' intent and the rapid escalation of global panic as different nations interpret the same signals in conflicting, potentially catastrophic ways.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Louise Banks, a linguist, and physicist Ian Donnelly are tasked with communicating with two seven-limbed 'heptapods' who have landed in Montana. As they decode the heptapods' logographic language, Banks experiences visions of a daughter she hasn't had yet. The discovery of a message interpreted as 'offer weapon' causes global panic and a breakdown in international cooperation. After a military strike on the craft, Banks realizes the 'weapon' is actually the heptapods' language, which allows the speaker to perceive time non-linearly. She learns the aliens are offering their language as a gift to help humanity. In a final move to prevent war, she contacts a Chinese general to clarify the meaning of the message. The film concludes with Banks choosing to have a child, knowing from her visions that the child will die young and that her relationship with Donnelly will end, yet she accepts the reality of her future.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Denis Villeneuve
- Writers
- Eric Heisserer · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Amy Adams · Louise Banks; Jeremy Renner · Ian Donnelly; Forest Whitaker · none; Michael Stuhlbarg · none; Tzi Ma · none
- Genres
- science fiction; drama
- Themes
- communication; time; linguistics; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- serious; intellectual; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- first contact; linguistics; non-linear narrative
- Source material / true-story basis
- Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang
- Reception
- The film received widespread acclaim for its themes, direction, and Amy Adams's performance, being named one of the best films of 2016 by various outlets.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · scale: percentage · review count: 439; IGN · score: 8.5 · scale: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Best Dramatic Presentation · Ray Bradbury Award · 2017 · won; Best Dramatic Presentation · Hugo Award · 2017 · won; Best Actress · Golden Globe Award · 2017 · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's title was chosen because the original title 'Story of Your Life' sounded like a romantic comedy.; The production used the municipality of Saint-Fabien, Quebec, as a stand-in for Montana.; The score was ineligible for the Academy Award for Best Original Score due to the use of Max Richter's music.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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