Arrival

I swear, this film is absolutely insaaanneee in a good way. It took me four days to finish it because I was so busy, and I'm honestly devastated that i had to be productive. I should’ve just been watching films until I drop, lol. I'm completely in awe of this film. I thought this was just another typical extraterrestrial flick where humans clash with aliens, but, was I WRONG. It all starts from the Sapir-whorf Hypothesis, which suggests that learning a new language can literally rewire your brain and determine how you think and perceive the world. From that point on, it was clear that this wasn't a story about massive conflicts or war. It’s about how language is more than just a tool for communication. And all this time, I thought the scenes with Louise and Hannah were fragments of her past because of the warm lighting, contrasting with the cold, sterile tones of the present. But I was dead wrong. Those scenes were actually glimpses of her future. Ykw? The Heptapods writing, which looks like circular ink splatters, it has no beginning and no end. It’s a visual representation of how they perceive time. And the moment Louise finally learned to ”write” and ”think” using their language, the ”gateway” to her future was automatically unlocked. That's exactly how louise was able to see glimpses of her future. All of this happens because the Heptapods need humanity in the future, so they provided a ”weapon” which is their language, to ensure humans don't go extinct from self-inflicted wars. They want humanity to evolve to the point where humans can return the favor and help them later on. I really love the concept of using language as a weapon. I mean, early on, I thought the ”weapon” the Heptapods were offering would be something like advanced machinery, technology, or science. But it turned out to be LANGUAGE, something that is so often taken for granted. In addition, if you look closely, it’s not just about the ”arrival” of the heptapods, it’s also about the ”arrival” of Hannah.