ARRIVAL
"We have to consider the idea that our visitors are prodding us to fight among ourselves until only one faction prevails"
AGENT HALPERN
"Maybe I would say what I felt more often. I don't know."
IAN DONNELLY
"If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?"
DR LOUISE BANKS
"You can understand communication and still end up single"
DR LOUISE BANKS
Louise: "I used to think this was the beginning of your story. Memory is a strange thing. It doesn’t work like I thought it did. We are so bound by time, by its order. I remember moments in the middle and this was the end… But now I’m not sure I believe in beginnings and endings. There are days that define your life, like the day they arrived...."
The sentences above were the hierarchy of the beginning in the movie(ARRIVAL) which hit up my mind and keep reverberating in my mind until now.Yes,i am trying to figure the real meaning of this opening that be used by the director or the writer of this storyline. Indeed, this movie is not just emphasizing on the importance and valuable of a specific language , it is more about humanity .
I was assigned to assess the Key Development of characters and the relationship to the 3 Act.Every single character in this movie has their personalities which were set accordingly, but they did come up to a same consciousness in the ending -UNITY, CONSOCIATE.
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
The 12 mysterious spacecrafts
The location of the landing of the 12 gigantic spaceships.
Why Are They Here?
This question was conveyed to everyone throughout this movie. This is the key point where the story flows , and how the characters react due to this question which was being concerned by the whole world in this movie.
Within the movie, The United Nations start to work together and gather up their scientist or linguist professor as the touch down of the enormous extraterrestrial vessels .
Dr. Louise Banks (acted by Amy Adams) is asked to utilize her linguistic skill and her initial goal is to achieve the success in communicating with the visitors (aliens) , which they are named as Abbott and Costello by the second character- Ian Donelly , (acted by Jeremy Renner).She was asked to get the answer from them - what brings them to Earth , and why ?
Ian who works as a theoretical physicist has the same goal within the whole movie , to investigate the aim of the aliens, but in a scientific way rather than literature way ; The purpose of the aliens actually is sharing their language , but there is no common consensus between human and the aliens since they dont understand the languages of the other side.This dramatic elements make this movie to be more developable, and it enhance the interaction between the main characters and the aliens.At the end of the movie, Louise tends to be more concern about the things happened in surrounding , she learns how to see something in a different way .For an example, she is lack of danger consciousness in the beginning since everybody is worrying about the unknown species which come to Earth, but she face it firmly and undergoes her daily activities as usual. After involving in the investigation , she realized the responsibility of her and started to take down the burden as the linking bridge between human and the aliens.At the other side , Ian was first being a little bit arrogant since he holds the different point of view with Louise.
Language is the foundation of civilization…. The first weapon drawn in a war.
This is the first time when Ian talks to Louise , he was quoting from her book,but quickly in a blink of eye ,he corrected her that it is Science , not language.At the end , he changed up his mind when Louise tries her best to communicate , to crack their language by using her own way.He starts respecting her , and stands by her using the most simplest way like teaching a child to talk.He learns sometimes emotional , the expression of feeling can be conducted through body language , not Science.
Louise first found that the aliens they may have a way to visually communicate
Abbott and Costello , at first do not manage to transfer what they think , but at the end ,they have the great development that they are able to express their language using black smoke which forms different patterns .They have learned the words from humans and in the opposite way ,they teach Louise their language too.
“Many become one” could just mean some assembly required. … To force us to work together.
To Communicate , or initiate a strike
The biggest changes of the key development is the acceptance of the new language and have the idea of the importance of the unity , since the countries that involved in the investigation do not share the research data , a phenomena happens when China first disconnect and plan to mess up the whole thing , countries are following it .They can really accept the simplest communicate method that Louise was using .
They started to have some vacillation in their mind when Abbott and Costello gives respond and the symbols that they emit shows a sequence , like the letter word in English.And surprisingly , it was read by the Louise and Ian and here goes to the turning point of the development of characters.Being able to read their language,Louise start having illusion or some sort of image in her mind which she thinks that it was her past, but the realistic is , she can see her future.
THE SET-UP
Story starts with the scenes of Louise with her daughter Hannah, from her birth, through her childhood years, up until her death at a young age from a fatal disease.
(this is a future scene that act as a conflict or uncertainty that left to audience to think)
As the Protagonist , Louise who is the expert in linguist field act as a model role that cannot be replace.She goals to fully exert her strength in communicating with the aliens.That is where the journey begins.
DEVELOPMENT
Story keep going with the cooperation of Louise with Ian and the team .At this part ,Ian starts to have some changes in his mind .Louise prove that her achievement by showing some incredible way to talk with Abbott and Costello.When they tried to find out what is the meaning of the black symbols, here goes to the addition of depth and meaning to this story line.
Space that is lack of gravity where main characters meet with the aliens.
PAY-OFF
Tensions starts to spread over the world when the misunderstanding occurs due to the wrong word that was shown by Abbott and Costello.China's General Shang who is stubborn and mighty decides to chase the spaceship away.Meanwhile,Abbott shows its huge development when the C4 explosion explodes ,it saves Ian and Louise by pushing them away from the danger area.Unfortunately, it was being hurted by it.This result has stimulated Louise to come over to talk with Costello.Finally,the misunderstanding is solved which the aliens wish to deliver their language to human , due to the condition in the future (which alien will needs human's help).By understanding their language ,one can be able to see the future. This statement has made the audience's mid clear that Louise is actually keep seeing her future,not past.By using this ability ,she save the world .Telling the world that , human must be standing together to face everything , 12 spaceships finally leave the Earth .At this part ,General Shang is the main factor that control the atmosphere in the movie.Surprisingly ,he develops his thought by listening to her wife's dying words and decide to share the data collected.
Louise then sees more visions of herself with Hannah, but this time with Ian in the picture. They are to become a couple that will eventually become parents to Hannah. In the present, Louise and Ian embrace, and she tells him she forgot what it was like to be held by him.She learns to accept it and take every single day to be precious and special.
General Shang who leads the side emphasizing the theory of win-lose.
Ian and Louise is couple in destiny in the future.She sees it but he doesnt.
People changes when you
strike their mind,
using words or images;
this is how story develops ,
from the past to the future.
In a nutshell , the development was well explored since the big turning point of the story happens just right before the ''war''begins . To my mind ,the story of this movie flows well as it gives a lot of imagination space for us to think about.Giving out quotes in the beginning , comparing the literature elements with the science , there are many points which conform the requirements of the science fiction ,but emerging the elements of tangible, humanity .Nevertheless,i wish to know the continuing story of Louis and Ian and their daughter , and the relationship between the language that being published with the human in the future.Will it be different if Louise didnt follow the future that she sees ? Will human still be united if Louise didnt make a call to general ?What is the actual issue that they gonna lose their children in the future ?
Too many questions are left to the audience :
Do i feel Perplexed ?
No, for me , it is a lesson for my life . I need a life time to digest ,understand.
It is an outstanding sci-fi in this few years time ,undeniable.