Arrival
I am absolutely, completely in love with this film. <PERSON> is unquestionably one of my favourite directors; time and time again, his films scratch that itch for me, finding that perfect balance between thought-provoking storytelling, technical mastery and emotional weight. And Arrival is a refreshing entry into the science fiction genre; an extra-terrestrial film ultimately about communication and collaboration over weapons and warfare. In the capable hands of <PERSON> and company, we watch all the filmmaking tricks in the book being put into practice. There is the obvious, arresting visual grandeur and creature design. 594
Then, the unenviable task of developing a truly foreign, alien language. Not to mention, witnessing the scale of something as vast as the dimension of time itself unfold in its entirety by the film's final twenty minutes. It is both intricately complex and deceptively simple – and if I wasn't already hooked by the premise or the nitty-gritty mechanics of first contact, I would inevitably be invested in the strong emotional core. It takes a particularly skilled actor like <PERSON> to be able to convey to the audience what it takes and means to convey, and she makes it seem easy. Though it may not be the best film in <PERSON>'s oeuvre (which speaks volumes), Arrival is definitely one of his most beautiful in more ways than one. Oh, and using music by <PERSON> is flat-out cheating. 132