Arrival: first contact, and the language problem

Arrival is Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 film about a linguist hired to talk to something that has arrived from nowhere, in twelve identical craft, without saying a word. Twelve countries are trying to communicate with it at once and no two of them agree on what it wants. It is a first contact film in which the aliens are not the problem.

The idea behind it

The film’s premise is that language shapes thought, and that learning a genuinely alien one would change the way you experience time. That is a real argument in linguistics, softened for a film, and Villeneuve takes it seriously enough to build the ending on it.

Around that sits a much simpler machine: twelve governments with twelve sets of analysts, none of whom can see the whole conversation. The tension is not invasion. It is mistranslation, and the film is honest about how fast a misunderstanding can become an ultimatum.

The story, spoiler-light

Louise Banks is brought in by the military because she is a linguist and the previous approach, which was shouting, did not work. She and a physicist are sent up to one of the craft to establish a vocabulary from nothing, which the film treats as a procedural: circles, symbols, questions, patience.

The film opens with a sequence about Louise’s daughter, and it is fair to say that the sequence means something different by the end than it does at the start. Knowing that is not a spoiler so much as a warning to pay attention the first time, because the film is carefully built and rewards the second viewing considerably.

What makes it science fiction

It is first contact handled as an intelligence problem rather than a battle, which is rare enough to be worth the ticket on its own. The aliens are genuinely alien in form and genuinely incomprehensible at first, and the film does not cheat by giving them a convenient interpreter.

The time structure is the science fiction. It is a device rather than a lecture, and it is used to make the audience experience the thing the characters are dealing with, which is the hardest trick in the genre and one of the reasons this film is so well regarded.

Watch on Amazon Prime Video

Who should watch it, and who should skip it

Watch it if you want serious, quiet science fiction with an actual idea in it, and if you are willing to sit with a film that is more interested in grief than in spectacle. Amy Adams carries the whole thing.

Skip it if you want action from a first contact story, or if you dislike films that withhold their structure on purpose. It is slow, hushed and mostly interiors, and the one big idea arrives very late.

Where to watch it

It is available on Amazon Prime Video, and on the usual digital stores to buy or rent. It works perfectly well at home, since it is a film of faces and rooms rather than landscapes.

The verdict

The best ideas-first science fiction film of its decade, and one of the few that respects its own premise all the way to the last shot. Watch it twice.

Frequently asked questions

How long is Arrival, and where can I watch it?

One hour and fifty-six minutes. It is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and available to buy or rent on the usual digital stores.

Is it based on a book?

It is adapted from Story of Your Life, a novella by Ted Chiang. The premise about language and time is his, and the short story is worth reading on its own, though the film expands it considerably.

Did it win any awards?

It won the Academy Award for sound editing and was nominated for eight Oscars in total, including best picture and best director.

Why does the film look so grey and cold?

Deliberately. Villeneuve drains the colour to keep the audience in a state of low-grade dread, and saves what little warmth there is for the moments that need it.

Is there a sequel?

No. It is a self-contained film.