Arrival

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Arrival (2016), directed by Denis Villeneuve, addresses the topic of communication between differing parties, how it can harm if misused or misunderstood, or heal if used properly. The film challenges the audience to see language as a way of viewing existence in a totally different way to which people are accustomed.

 Slow mournful music opens the film as Louise Banks (Amy Adams) narrates, “I used to think this was the beginning of your story. Memory is a strange thing. It doesn’t work the way I thought it did. We are so bound by time, by its order.” She looks at her infant daughter, Hannah. She seems to remember the girl’s life as she grew up. But her life was cut short by an illness. She then says, “But now I’m not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings. There are days that define your story beyond your life.” The opening appears to be a memory of something in the past. But it is not, as we learn. Time in this story is not linear. Her daughter’s name is Hannah, which is a palindrome. Its forward and backward spelling symbolizes a similar movement in time, as the story explores. (The title of the film could have many references. It could refer to the birth of a baby, arriving at a conclusion, as well as the landing of aliens).

The movie then shifts to when aliens arrive on Earth. Louise is an eminent linguistics professor. Her students interrupt her with news of the arrival of twelve spaceships on the planet, one in Montana. Later, Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) visits Louise and he points out that she helped the government in the past with translations and has a top-secret clearance. He asks her to attempt to translate the sounds made by two of the aliens’ voices recorded on a brief audio clip. She says since the language is a new one, she must interact with the visitors. Her response stresses the need for the coming together of different parties for communication to occur, which supports the main theme of the film. After he realizes Louise is the best choice for the job he agrees to take her to the landing site. 

On the helicopter flight she meets Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), an experimental physicist, with whom she will be working. He quotes her when he says, “Language is the foundation of civilization. It is the glue that holds a people together. It is the first weapon drawn in a conflict.” The statement shows the dual nature of language, which can be used for friendly and hostile ends. (Many conflicts start with verbal accusations. However, we know that sometimes aggression towards another can just be the desire for a power-grab with no preceding argument). Ian disagrees with her, saying science is the “foundation.” From the start these two are from differing camps, and need to bridge the gap between them, just as the bigger story shows the requirement for nations to unite, and two species to come to a meeting of the minds.

 

The spacecraft is oval in shape and looks like a seashell. It stands on its vertical axis instead of sitting flat, which is what we would expect it to do. The position suggests that these aliens do not conform to our perception of what is routine. After arriving at the landing site, Louise and Ian wear protective gear, including an oxygen supply. These layers of apparel show how the start of a connection with others begins with a distancing step.

Weber says that every eighteen hours a door opens at the bottom tip of the spacecraft to allow visitors. Once they enter the opening, gravity changes and they can walk on the wall as if it was a floor. This phenomenon is another uncommon element which must be learned to make contact. (The soundtrack has siren that are similar to what The Purge films contain. Here, its use is ironic because it underlines how humans are apprehensive of the unknown, which can prevent the making of a connection with others).

The chamber in which Louise and Ian confront the aliens has a transparent barrier separating the two races. It is another actual and symbolic barrier to overcome. The aliens are very different than us. They are shrouded in a fog, again stressing the need to break through confusion towards some kind of clarity. Two approach the glass and each has seven tentacles, which leads to them being called “Heptapods” Louise feels overwhelmed at this first encounter, so she is not able to initiate any attempt at communication. Her response shows the difficulty dealing with those that differ so much from what we are accustomed to.

The people of Earth react with fear and apprehension as states of emergency are declared, looting occurs, travel is canceled, economies tank, and militaries prepare for fighting. The movie suggests that fear is a roadblock to understanding. One soldier on a phone call to home hears that his children are afraid “the monsters” are going to kill the father. The film here shows the narrow-minded fear of humans can block out understanding.

Louise tries written communication by using a pre-digital white-board to show a human alphabet. The Heptapods respond by secreting an ink-like substance (sort of what squid on Earth do) that illustrates their lettering. It is interesting that their graphics are circular, which points to how their minds work as we see later in the tale. Louise justifies using the written form of communication because it helps lessen misunderstanding. She makes up a story saying that when the natives of Australia were asked what the animals who hop around are called, they said, “kangaroo,” which Captain Cook decided to name the animals. But the word actually means, “I don’t understand.” Weber inserts the military attitude of being wary of anything foreign when he says that Louise should be careful what she teaches them so as not to give an advantage to possibly aggressive invaders. His response shows the defensive, fearful human attitude as opposed to the academic curious response.

Louise explains to Weber that asking, “what are your intentions?” is too complex a question to ask the newcomers up front. She must have them understand what a question is, and the difference between a personal “you” and the inclusive “you” that can include a whole people. So, she must have time to build a foundation of understanding. That patience from an impatient military standpoint is difficult to accept.

At the next session, the courageous Louise takes off her hazmat suit to break away from a distancing connection toward a personal one. She puts her open hand against the screen, and the alien does the same with its starfish-like end of its tentacle. They have exchanged a sort of “hello.” Now, when she writes her name on the white-board it shows it is easier to make the connection between the name and the person. Ian does the same, shedding his suit and writing his name on the board. The two Heptapods illustrate what appears to be their names. Ian calls them “Abbott and Costello.” For those who are too young to know, they made up a comedy team. But more significantly, their “Who’s on First” routine showed how confusing language can be.

As Louise immerses herself in the alien language she gets visions of her daughter. Again, we believe these are recollections. In these visions, we become aware that she and Hannah’s father have separated.

Ian narrates their findings at this point. He says unlike human languages that have sounds that correlate to the written forms, the alien language does not have that association. It “contains meaning. It doesn’t represent sound.” Ian thanks Pakistan for concluding that the aliens use a “logogram: which is free of time.” (The fact that another country has a breakthrough stresses the idea that cooperation between differing cultures can be a plus). Ian says that the extraterrestrial ship leaves no definite “footprint” since it has no traceable impact in terms of radiation, sound, or any other measurable form. The craft doesn’t even touch the ground. He says, “their written language has no forward or backward direction.” That sums up the circular images, which have variations on the circumferences of the circles to differentiate them. He adds, “Linguists call this nonlinear orthography, which raises the question, ‘is this how they think?’” They can see the beginning and end of a sentence simultaneously, and thus can write a complex sentence quickly. Here we have the idea of seeing time as nonlinear. (Why is Ian narrating here instead of Louise, the linguist? It could represent that Louise’s way of thinking is reaching another being whose background differs from hers, and thus meaning is being conveyed).

Ian and Louise sit out in the evening together, away from all the frenzy around them, where fear seems to rule social media platforms. He says how fortunate it is that he has her to work with, and she sees that all the work comes down to the two of them, which he sees as an attribute. They are not only bridging the gap between their two disciplines but also emphasizing the importance of a single interpersonal connection.

Ian has been reading about what Louise calls the “Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis” that says immersing yourself in a language “rewires your brain.” Louise says the theory states that “the language you speak determines how you think.” Louise, for the purposes of this story, is beginning to think like the aliens.

Weber and Louise are concerned because General Shang (Tzi Ma) of China makes an address that Louise concludes has references to mahjong. Louise sees the danger in trying to communicate by using game strategy because it uses language involving “opposition, victory, defeat.” She says, “If all I ever gave you was a hammer …” then, concludes Weber, “Everything’s a nail.” Here the film shows how a narrow view can block out the big picture and focus on negative interpretations.

Weber pushes Louise to ask what are the aliens’ purpose here. The response is “use weapon.” Louise, probably realizing the word “weapon” may have come from what the Chinese were communicating, stresses that the Heptapods may mean “tool.” The paranoid view of Agent Halpern (Michael Stuhlbarg) is the aliens, not seeing one ruler of the planet, wants the various nations “to fight among ourselves until only one faction prevails.” He says that world history shows that imperialistic nations have used this tactic in the past, implying it makes conquest simpler.

The nations had been cooperating but now are breaking off communications because of the leads of China and Russia becoming alarmed about the “use weapon” translation. They consider it a hostile attempt by the aliens to cause people to fight among themselves. Louise has the voice of sanity as she states the primary theme of this story: “We should be talking to each other!”

Now, using the information from prior sessions, Louise can use digital technology to transmit alien symbols to communicate quickly. Inside the spacecraft, the alien tells her to touch the transparent barrier and write on it directly to close the gap between them. Abbott and Costello transmit a complicated message. However, some scared military operatives planted explosives aboard the craft. As the explosion occurs, Abbott expels Louise and Ian from the meeting area to save them, showing the aliens’ nonviolent desires.

China issues an ultimatum to the aliens to leave within twenty-four hours or face destruction, and other countries line up behind General Shang. Meanwhile as Ian and Louise try to make sense out of the last communication, Louise has a dream of her daughter wanting a scientific word for a win-win scenario. She tells Hannah to ask her father. It is here that we may realize that the father is Ian.

Ian makes a breakthrough in his analysis of the alien message. He says the symbol for time appears all over the communication. Also, a 3-D illustration shows that the message sent by the Washington aliens occupies one twelfth of a larger message, shown by gaps in the image. Louise suggests that the full message is split between the twelve crafts and that the Heptapods want all the nations to collaborate in order to decipher a complete transmission. The aliens are encouraging unity, for all nations to take a leap to understand the whole picture, not just fractional perspectives. Ian says that they should make an effort to share what they have learned with other nations, implying the need to open the lines of communication and cooperation. But Halpern says that nobody is listening to anyone else, suggesting that the truth is not getting out. The film could be saying that is the problem with our world today.

The shell spacecraft now rises higher in the air, as if suggesting that it is up to the people of Earth to take charge. They do, however, send down a pod for Louise to access the ship. She enters a vaporous area behind the barrier from which an alien emerges. The full size of Costello appears, and it is taller than what Louise previously saw, with a type of head at the top. It is as if she is now gaining more knowledge coming out of a cloud of confusion. She is communicating verbally with them now and they understand each other. Costello says Abbots is dying, probably from the blast, a sacrifice made for humanity. He says they are helping Earth’s inhabitants because in three thousand years they will need our help. She asks how can they know the future, and then she sees a vision of Hannah again. When she asks who is the child, the audience now concludes that it is the future she now sees. She has been rewired and can think like the visitors. The “weapon” is really a tool, and it is language. (Of course, even though learning a new language may change how we order words and parts of speech, stress some aspects of life more than others, it doesn’t mean we actually are able to perceive existence to the level of, say, an Einstein, or have prescience. But, for the themes of this film, it works symbolically).

As the camp disbands, Louise hears her daughter say, “Wake up Mommy.” It’s as if she is telling Louise to realize what is happening. Louise has a premonition of meeting General Shang at a formal reception arranged by the President. Shang says that eighteen months ago she was able to change his mind, something nobody has done. He says that she contacted him on his “private number.” She says she doesn’t know it. He shows her his cell phone and says, “Now you know.” She takes this future information and uses it to contact Shang in the present on Halpern’s phone. He tells her the final words of Shang’s dying wife which only he could know, and she says them in Mandarin in the present. That act showed Shang that what she learned was a gift from the aliens and led him to give up aggression and seek unification with other countries. We get a view of a book she will publish called The Universal Language. It most likely will teach the people of Earth to learn the language of the aliens, and, maybe, think like them, thus allowing for that help for the aliens in the future.

In the present, their job done, the aliens leave. Ian admits that despite what he was looking for in the stars, he found meeting Louise is the most important discovery in his life. The stress here is on individuals. She holds him and we have a shot of them embracing in the future, as time collapses. She says in the present how she forgot how good it feels hugging him. Of course, the irony is this time is the first.

She asks him in that moment, if he knew his life from beginning to end, would he change anything. That is the final question this film asks us. She changed history by deciding to call Shang to tell him what she learned. But what about knowing that her daughter will die of a rare, incurable illness? Louise gives her answer when she says, in narration, “So, Hannah... This is where your story begins. The day they departed. Despite knowing the journey... and where it leads... I embrace it. And I welcome every moment of it.” She decides to go ahead with marrying Ian and having her daughter, even though she knows Ian will leave her for not telling her about this tragic moment in their future. He believed she made the wrong choice. The film asks us, what would we do?