Arrival

A beautifully shot film giving way to an even more beautiful story. I remember my first viewing and while I was not so blown away by it the way I am right now, I did recognize the rewatch value the film had. There are certain movies that hit you later, maybe because you have a different perspective on life and you can appreciate the nuances even better, and I can say Villeneuve's Arrival was definitely one of them for me. So much to take in. So much to unpack. It was marketed as a story where extra terrestrial life visits Earth and that's always something really cool but then with these narratives it always stops at cool, it would always be abstract and distant. To make a groundbreaking alien movie at this day and age where the concept is already discussed to death, you need to be a bit bold and that is exactly what Villeneuve does; he takes the risk of adding a human emotional layer—choice, love, and grief. He spins science fiction to something so poignant and existential, turning the whole concept into a human experience. The final 10 minutes had my eyes glued to the screen, it was so mesmerizing. The music was so good, so dreamy, so powerful? There was something so magical about those scenes she had with her daughter and the back and forth between both the different time splits. So emotional, I did not really cry or feel like crying but I think I would if it was some other day. If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things? I think this movie also reinforced the way I see life. Its always about the journey and not really the destination and when you know things will end one day you enjoy it regardless. For who are we without love, and why should we let the inevitable spoil that for us anyways. I love you so much Villeneuve.