By Magnolia Wang ‘19, Arts and Entertainment Editor

Sci-fi movies usually don’t leave me in tears, but when my eyes welled up at the end of Arrival, I knew that Denis Villeneuve’s beautiful film was something more than the typical extraterrestrial movie. Though it showcases the struggles of communication between humans and aliens, it’s not E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Arrival is the crossroads between the power of communication and the bonds of trust and understanding. The stunning visuals, nail-biting climaxes, and tear-jerking backstory makes Arrival a film well worth seeing.

Arrival, released on November 11, 2016, is adapted from Ted Chiang’s short story, “Story of Your Life.” Louise Banks (Amy Adams), the main protagonist, is a linguistics professor who leads a team of investigators to investigate gigantic spaceships that have landed in twelve different locations around the world. The spaceships contain heptapods, aliens with 7 arms, who communicate in a mysterious language. Dr. Banks must race against the clock to find a way to understand the heptapods in order to avoid sparking a global war. In the midst of this, Banks’ paralyzing visions of her future reappear, but her fear is allayed by her new friend Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). Though Banks risks her life and possibly all of mankind’s in her quest to unravel the heptapod mystery, she sets herself free from the cage of fear she was confined in.  

What’s remarkable about Arrival is the unexpected connections between the heptapods (the aliens) and Bank’s own self-questioning of human existence. Although poignant and chilling, it draws the audience and has them repeatedly asking, “Why are they here?” Arrival has a contemplative core, and makes the case that humans have only scratched the surface of what is thought to be extraterrestrial life.  The stunning yet simple visuals combined with stellar film technique contribute to the elegant beauty of the film. But much of the satisfaction of Arrival lies in watching Adams as Louise Banks figure things out. Her self-effacing performance is what makes Arrival modest yet extremely intriguing.

Though Arrival has earned a solid 94%, “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, it is not a movie for all audiences. Arrival is very emotionally moving, which may turn off some sci-fi fans who solely want to see aliens, fighting, and futuristic technology. I also felt that the Arrival was superficially weighty–I spent a good hour after the movie trying to piece together the backstory and the plot. If you don’t want a major brain workout, or feel emotionally distraught at the end of a sci-fi movie, I would suggest seeing another one.  

What really made me love Arrival was that it taught me how to understand others. Banks, who is fluent in English, communicates with the heptapods using the sounds of vowels and consonants. However, she begins to grasp the fact that the heptapods use proportions as a form of communication, and changes her way of thinking to communicate with them. I realized that the way in which a person uses their language determines how he or she perceives the world, and it’s up to our ability to comprehend those perceptions in order to understand them.  Above all, Arrival speaks of opening the mind to understand others.  It serves as a sobering masterpiece, and empowers the audience to realize that these small connections are everywhere- in media and news- shaping our powerful perceptions.