Arrival

Besides this movie being a sci-fi, it is a great representation on grief (may I add, like Shutter Island(2010) and Hamnet(2025), since they also use the song "In the Nature of Daylight"). Amy Adams(Louise) acting is so moving. You can tell that she has that feeling of trying to be happy but looking sad cause she knows the outcome. You can feel the grief. It's a beautiful story because it teaches you that even if life ends up disappointing or full of heartbreaks, you should still be happy of the present and what you are living now. At the start of the film, she says "But now I'm not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings" and I believe it's is so humane and profound to see her overcome the grief, even if she has to live with it at the end. Louise is a strong, complex and empathetic character . About the directing, the story comes in full circle. It starts off with flash- forwards and it makes you think they are flashbacks. I've got this idea really late in the film. The framework is more related to Louise's mentality, her not knowing what is happening inside her head and the curiosity to find hope in what she's doing. That's why at times it feels so intense. We are living with her. Another fact is that it's parallel story-telling. Her grief and the alien language meet in a point to show how beautiful grief can be by turning it into hope (showing her that there is also good in bad). Besides being parallel stories they are also related to the non-linear nature(aliens seeing time as something continuous and Louise learning that from them and overcoming her grief so). I don't think there is a correct order for which one used it best between Shutter Island(2010), Arrival(2016) and Hamnet(2025). All of these three made wonderful stories on grief and use different ideas(Shutter island-the past, Arrival- the future and Hamnet- present and vision) and I can't pick a favourite. Incredible movies all of them.