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The way I see it, from Louise's perspective it isn't a choice about whether or not to give their future daughter however brief a life. To Louise, Hannah has already lived that life. To take away a life already lived is a much harder choice to make than to prevent that life from happening at all.
Because Louise learned the aliens language, her daughter is always a living presence. She can experience her short life at any time. Ian doesn't speak the language so for him, her life was finite. This is such a beautiful film. I am forever salty Amy Adams wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this film. It's an incredible performance.
along with Ian's mention near the beginning that if you immerse oneself in a language, you begin to view things like people who speak that language - Ian is a mathematician, and because he wasn't so proficient in acquiring a new language couldn't pick up the alien language or way of experiencing time
Louise had visions of her daughter so it did happen, there was no choice to make. Our thinking there was a choice to make is a false premise. She would not have visions of her daughter if her future self had chosen against getting pregnant / giving birth. I love the non linear time angle the film presents! Only film I'm aware of that has done that. I'm curious to know if anyone else knows of one like it?
"How did she know the wife's dying words?" It's the classic Bootstrap Paradox in timey-wimey media. General Shang actually tells her, it's what he was whispering to her in that scene. She knows because she is looking-at/remembering the future. General Shang tells her that because in the past, she tells that to General Shang.
Exactly, and the reason he says "I'm not sure why, but I believe it was important for you to see this" is because he doesn't know the universal language yet but WILL learn it in the future. His future self knows that his past self is supposed to do this but it doesn't make sense to him yet because the "time loop" is only closed when you learn the language. It's honestly a genius way of doing "time travel"
Someone reacting somewhere had translated his words to a Classic Chinese art of war saying to the effect soldiers must do the right hard thing?… wish I could find that translation……his past wife and her future daughter were part of the story..
It's interesting that you mentioned the cinematography. Arrival's cinematography was done by Bradford Young, who incidentally became the first African-American cinematographer to be nominated for an Academy Award for his work on this film. His other films include Selma and A Most Violent Year. p.s.; The Chinese General's wife's final words, translated, was 'In war there are no winners, only widows.'
"And she's seen it too." That's the thing though. She hasn't just seen it. She's lived it. This is an illustration of just how difficult it is to understand the concept of time being non-linear. When you talk about her seeing the future you are still talking about time being linear. The point of this movie is that it's not. The future is the past. The past is the future. It's all one big circle.
@geneticjen9312 They didn't change that though, they were always going to this planet, she was already seeing her daughter before interacting with the aliens.
And THAT is the joy and devastation of this movie. She knew she would lose her, and spent every moment she could with her. A testament to love and life. You WILL lose everyone you love. Full stop. This movie broke and remade me.
And in a way, since Louise can slip through time, she will always be able to live Hannah's life and death all the time. Kind of like, if you can witness all of your past and all of your future, everything can become your present.
@@eddietucker7005 aren’t all Villaneuves films? Him and Nolan are peak filmmaking and creating cinema experiences (I know contrarians think differently)
Different people will take different lessons from the film. For me, the clear lesson is that humanity has to come together to solve global problems. Sadly the most powerful & ultra wealthy who own politicians, media & merchants of fear are very good at sowing & maintaining division to maintain their power & wealth. “They” are desperately using culture wars to distract from the 0.1% waging class war on the bottom 99%.
Imagine grieving your lost child (who has yet to be born), and mourning the end of your marriage before you even start dating your future partner. That moment brought tears to my eyes, too. She knows he’s going to resent her for the “choice” she made, but she still welcomed it.
She wasn't 'timeslipping' she was remembering a conversation she had in the future. That's how their language works it enables your thoughts to move through time. That's how she knew the general's wife's dying words she was remembering the conversation she was yet to have with him, the conversation the movie showed us. It's very paradoxical in some ways. She convinces him then has to have the conversation in the future where she learns the words she needs to convince him in the past.
@@simplebull210I think she was remembering it in real time, kind of as it was happening, so not necessarily slipping more she can’t remember because she doesn’t have the memory yet Weird shit but I think that’s right lol
@@GreatOutdoors1no because human minds can’t perceive the future lol, it’s not the same thing I get that within the world of this film the difference doesn’t exist, which is fun, but functionally for humans memory works and only works in one direction lol
@@boat1280 im glad I didn’t have to respond to that because i guess he didn’t understand that all those flashes were future memories not past memories haha thanks
I'm surprised that you'd be surprised. These people literally monetized ignorance. Can't really be surprised about anything they don't know, when it's the whole reason to even watch them. I do miss the days we rewarded knowledge and skill over ignorance and ineptitude 🤷♂️
I remember watching this in the theater and scoffing when I noticed the third blatant plot-hole, then gasping when it dawned on me what was happening with the timeline. The third act was one of the best movie-watching experiences I've ever had.
I love that the human reaction to this story is to go "oh maybe she can change it now" In the short story the question of free will comes up. And Louise's answer is so wild. She basically explains that they cant change the future, the past, present and future are. Time is a circle what's gonna happen will happen. The free choice comes in knowing that, and still choosing it. Louise knows her daughter is going to die, and she chooses to have her anyway.
For those wondering, the string piece featured at the beginning and end is called "On The Nature Of Daylight" by Max Richter. It's one of the most sad and beautiful contemporary classical songs ever made.
It's also used in Stranger than Fiction, Shutter Island, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Last of Us, and it's getting to be like Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" - like, yes, it's great, it gorgeous, can we put a moratorium on it for ten years or something.
When Denis Villeneuve reveals the pod to us, the clouds coming down the mountain are real. He filmed this scene in a small coastal village in the Bas-St-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. There is a lot of fog in this beautiful region.
It's the only movie I've ever seen that shows how it feels to learn a foreign language and really understand it. It does change how you think, how you interpret the world, how you express yourself. It's not as awesome as being able to time-travel in your mind but it's pretty life-changing sometimes.
It's not the language but the entire foreign culture that does that. What is the point of a language if you can't use it? In my country, we learn three languages at school. Nothing life changing about it. Visiting another country, far away, on the other hand.
If you come out of school fluent in three languages, then I can see why you’d take for granted the transformative power of that. Lots of countries are not like that.
@@caleidoo Foreign culture can certainly do that but so does the languages themselves. If you don't feel it, it's probably because either you're not that fluent in those languages yet or those languages aren't that drastically different from each other. Things like slangs are perfect examples, terms that can't achieve the same effect by being translated word by word. They force the brain to operate in a different settings. There's also other things such as in French, you're constantly aware of the number 20 in their number system; in Korean and Japanese, the way you speak alter depends on the age and social status of the person you talk to; and in Abaric, how so many expressions are tied to religion (even just their common greetings). It's not even an overstatement to say that a person can have different personas when speaking different languages.
Agreed. In India, most of us are at least trilingual here, i.e., English, Hindi and a regional mother tongue from a specific state you're born from. I had been fortunate enough to get to know a fourth one living in a different state as a teenager. Once you tune your brain to really "understand" another language either by their writing or speaking, you understand the minds of their people and how they think. It allows you to navigate conversations way more easily. Most native Asian languages have complex structures different for both writing and speaking. Understanding even just one of them fully can take a huge chunk of your life.
In the prologue, when Hannah dies, Louise says "Come back to me." In the epilogue, Louise remembers the future and thus knows that Hannah "comes back" to her.
Always amazed how science fiction can take such complex concepts and transform them into intimately human stories. Just a beautiful exploration of free will and time.
Aaron’s reaction to the reveal is everything I needed from this video 🤣🤣 No but all the way through this is a great reaction, one of my absolute favorite movies I’ve ever seen, I’m so glad you guys liked it!
I read the short story this movie's based on, and both are masterpieces. I love that the movie shows flash-forwards even before we see Louise get the gift. Because, if you perceive time fluidly or as circular, it doesn't matter when you obtain the ability to do so, because continuity is a linear concept of time and progression. So, if she gets the gift then, has she always had it? Well kinda, because again, time is non-linear for her. That's such an interesting paradoxical thought, that my brain sure isn't advanced enough to fully grasp, which is entirely the point.
The start of the movie (or rather the ending) isn't a flash-forwards, though. It was a narrative by Louis, so the start wasn't really Louis experiencing a flash forward. You didn't see her having this until she started interacting with the heptapods, which when she started immersing herself in their language.
Ted Chiang is brilliant. Highly recommend his other work, Hell is the Absence of God for a completely different but equally fascinating examination of our existence
Time being non-linear, they are able to jump to a point in time without ever experiencing the time between. Louise didn't know what to say to the Chinese General until he told her.
@@Heisenberg-mx8fw she remembers nothing, she lived in the future at that point he told her, she's 4 dimensional being, able to go through her life as easily as we wlak through 4 dimensions.
@@dusky6280 no I'm right you don't understand how 4 dimensional beings works. She's not in the future remembering, she's in the future right after being in the past, there is no inbetween, she deduced it. Since she hadn't experiened making the phone call yet, there was nothing to remember. A 4d being experiences all of their timeline as we experience walking in 3 dimensions. When she went to the future she had never been in the past where she talked to him on the phone. Thats also why he has to tell her what she told him, she didn't remember it, as she hadn't done it yet.
The bird being there was a modern day "canary in the coal mine" situation because of the 'alien' ships atmosphere...so long as the bird stays alive, so will the human. If the bird suddenly dies, the human is not far behind..😁
Exactly. The reason they used canaries is because a bird's respiration rate is much faster than human's, so the canary is breathing in whatever is in the air much faster; therefore, the canary will be affected much faster. And canaries are very vocal birds; if the canary is suddenly silent, then they know to check it right away.
I learned of this when I was a teenager and first heard the awesome song by The Police. "First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect You live your life like a canary in a coalmine You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line"
Since I haven't seen it mentioned in the comments yet, I'll point out that the choice of "Abbot and Costello" for the aliens' names is appropriate since the comedy duo Abbot and Costello's most famous bit is "Who's On First?" which is all about miscommunication (and words potentially having multiple meanings, thereby altering each person's interpretation of what's being said).
I absolutely love this movie. I’ve seen it multiple times and it never gets old. I first saw it while pregnant with my first child. I had to re-wach it the next day. I think it resonates with all parents. You have a child and you KNOW they will suffer, have their heart broken, they will fall ill, they will be scared, but they will also have joy, love, hope and amazing, surprising moments.
@@veena-8853 Because time is now circular for her, it doesn't matter how we see her life events unfold, to her past present and future don't really matter anymore. Plus, the visions of Hanah from the opening of the movie, was "the future" long after the aliens came and went. Once she understood their language, time basically didn't matter anymore for her (other than aging etc. I'm assuming lol) and the procession of events from past to future and always living in the present stopped being a thing for her.
You mentioned Watchmen earlier in the review, and Louise perceives time like Dr. Manhattan does. She is actually living these periods of time. The crazy part is when you realize that Abbott and Costello knew that one of them was going to die during this trip
" How does she know the wifes dying words" The dude was literally repeating the dying words into her ear in the future as hes saying how does she know and he doesnt get it lmao
I think they mean like why does the general deliberately says what Louise needed to hear which to be fair it was also a question I had the first time, but now after seeing it multiple times, I now realize that the general shang at that point also knew the heptapod language and given that he said "I felt that you had to know this" while showing his phone number and then his wife's dying words, I think he saw that he had to show her that even if it was not yet apparent what the main goal was... Hope it's not too messy to understand 🖖
Commander meant how did the reactors understand that she knew the phone number because he gave it to her, but they didn't understand that he also gave her the dying words
@@BrilliantDemise Yeah I understood what happened @joseph I thought they meant they didnt understand how she knew what his wifes dying words were is what I was explaining if they meant it the way you explained then I misunderstood them. Hope yall havin good day with ur fams Merry Xmas!
She knows the wife's last words for the exact same reason she knows his cell phone number. Because he told her exactly what she showed her his cellphone number at that meeting, and said "I believe it is important from me to do this." Which means, I believe he understood a bit of the language as well and something told him he needed to tell her those things then or she wouldn't be able to remember the future in the past.
I love this film so much. It’s so beautiful. The message is something the world needs to understand so badly. Hannah’s short life was such a beautiful representation of how our concept of time is flawed. And the score…It hits a deep chord in my soul. I can’t watch this film or reactions without getting emotional. I don’t know how anyone can hate it.
I never made the ‘canary in a coal mine’ connection but I figured it was for a similar thing. If an animal dies or starts freaking out, it’s probably an indicator of wrong in the environment.
@@Shax117I’m in my early twenties and I knew from growing up watching cartoons and shows that reference canaries in a coal mine. There’s not really an excuse for people my age to not know when it’s a common phrase
My favorite palindrome: "A man a plan a canal Panama". Arrival is among my top five favorite movies. Getting to watch others see it for the first time is the next best thing to being able to experience it fresh again.
Sometimes you watch a movie you know nothing about and your jaw drops of the story, cinematography etc. This was one of mine! And there weren’t that many tbh. Love stories that makes you think how we see and define life and everything we take for granted. Great reaction guys!
the main theme is actually about 20 years old, they selected an existing song specifically for the movie. imo they selected it because not only is it beautiful and fitting but the song title is "On The Nature Of Daylight." the nature of daylight is that although its temporary and passing, even when it seems like its gone from one point of view, its not really lost, its still shining and being actively experienced in another point, so there is no reason to mourn its loss.
I really like how Louise and Ian embrace each other for the first time because instead of high romance kiss new love fire. It’s an embrace of two couples who have love each other for a long time.
I loved watching your realizations at the end. I wish I could watch again for the first time. After revealing his phone number, when he whispers in her ear he says what his wife’s dying words were.
Louise learns what General Shang's wife's dying words were because he told her in the future. He gave her his phone number and told her the words. Also depicting how time is circular (similar to how the language is written in a circular fashion). Absolutely love this film and love that the cinematographer is Bradford Young, who went to an HBCU :)
Based on “Story of Your Life,” it should have won Adaptation Screenplay. It was nominated for 8 Oscars and only won for Film Editing. It did really well in Brazil. This film is in my top 25 best films of all time. The script blew me away! It something you can ponder on for years.
She didn't forget that she called the general on the phone, she hadn't experienced it yet. That point in time was happening in real time for her which is how she was able to relay the message. When she sees the future she isn't just seeing it, she's actually in the moment interacting with her surroundings and that goes for all the times you think she is "seeing" the future. That's how non-linear time works.
I think you're right, but also: I think it only works that way for her because she's learning the language but not yet completely fluent in it and not considering it her first language, meaning she does still mostly perceive time as linear. That's why she is confused, she's kinda caught between the two ways of perceiving the world. It's such an interesting concept.
The music was also used in the incredible episode 3 of The Last of Us and Shutter Island, it always makes me cry. It’s a beautiful piece called On the Nature of Daylight by the brilliant Max Richter
When I first saw this film in theatres I was so blown away by all of it that I absolutely loved it, but didn't get very emotional. Partly because my brain was more focused on (and fascinated by) all the concepts, but mainly because I tend to push away emotional responses within myself. But the second time I watched it, DAMN, did it get emotional. So many gut punches. What a brilliant film.
that's what hooked me about this movie. that commitment to realism and maturity. most alien movies i've seen approach it from an action or horror standpoint. it's about how to survive, how they're gonna kill us, how we're gonna kill them, bang, bang, explosion, etc. but this was such a slow, methodical introduction. what if they don't immediately attack and just linger? what would our response be? what would the global response and social effects be? i've never seen it done that way before. and even after they show us the aliens, it wasn't about just us vs them. and the way villeneueve plays with time, just like in a nolan movie, is so nice. also props to the writer ted chiang who made the novel which this is based on. such an interesting idea
It's the same reason why 'Project Hail Mary' is one of my favorite books - it examines that same concept of a peaceful first contact grounded in a certain amount of reality.
This movie is an entirely different experience in subsequent watches, and they are just as good if not better than the first. The subtleties in Louise's acting is so incredible - you notice that she is confused during/after each future-memory rather than just mourning a lost child, you see all the clues that the father is Ian, etc.
Louise doesn't see the future. Fully understanding Heptapod language literally opened up seeing time from any point for her, which is why & how she responded to conversations in the future even though she exists in the present.
Anyone heard of déjà rêvé? There's a theory that we can already see the future in our dreams but we just forget or dismiss it as a dream. Déjà rêvé occurs when you feel like you've already experienced an event because you saw it in a dream long ago that you forgot.
Yeah I thought that would be obvious to them, as they'd already just figured out that she was taking information from the future to use in the present.
My favorite movie ever. It somehow gets better every time I watch it. There is so much detail. The Heptapod's technology is so advanced because they were able to use the timetool to get it from the future. The same way that Louise used it to read the book. Denis Villeneuve might be the best sci-fi director ever.
One of the best movies of the last 20 years! ♥The reveal/twist is awesome! Just a brilliant film! Amy Adams & film should've been nominated/won Oscars! Really enjoyed your guys comments & analysis! Kudos! 👍
My *MOST* favorite movie!! This movie is a delightful onion that has endless layers of meanings and feelings 🩵 I sobbed in the theater for 15 minutes after it ended.
This movie is great. The Linguistics are well-researched and pretty realistic to how field linguistics is done, which is what attracted me to watching the film when I did in the first place. Also, p.s. A linguist can be a scientist :D
Nice. I like Ted Chiang's SF stories, and back when I read the one this is based on, like most of his work, I thought it couldn't be made into a film. Along comes genius Canadian Denis Villeneuve... and we get magic. Damn, what a film. Easily one of the best films in the past 25 years.
Beautiful and delicate movie, I loved it. I love the entire concept of the aliens, the struggle to make contact, and the fear of the unknown with all the different interpretations of their actions by the different nations.
I am beyond ecstatic that you guys got to see Arrival for the first time. I saw this movie in theatres 4 times and loved it each time, the very first time I was a mess and had to stay back to be able to to collect myself and calm down, was pretty emotional and felt stupid balling my eyes out around a bunch of people. This is one movie that if anyone hasn't seen it do yourself a favor and don't read or watch any spoilers, the experiencing this movie is not the same if you know already. This movie continues to be in my top 3, somedays I even think it is my favorite.
As someone who loves languages, this movie is definitely one of my favorites! The heptapods' language alone is fascinating and I just love Louise's approach. Then we have the cinematics, the music, the sound design, the twist, etc. Just a great movie!
Absolute masterpiece,when i first watched this movie it stayed with me for weeks...moments of it living in my conciousness,making me face the questions and situations,such a deep,strong,intellectual thought provoking movie....Villeneuve peaked with this offering.
You mentioned the idea of making the decision to have her daughter knowing what would happen. Of going through that loss. But I think the question she is asking is “how could I not let my daughter have the life she can have and give up on those times of joy when I’ve already experienced all of that.” It’s why at the beginning of the film the “future memories” are all sad… but at the end they are all showing positive memories. “If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?” This movie is beyond brilliant.
Rolling cloud shot was filmed in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec. It was not CGI. Just fog rolling over the hills. They said themselves they were lucky to catch it and started filming. The rest was added afterwards.
The "waterfall of clouds" is natural. It was filmed in St-Fabien, Québec (Canada). That was not something they wanted to shoot but it happened one day in the field and they started to film it immediately. That's a phenomenon that happens sometimes in this place.
Such a good movie. Easily in my top 10 of all time of any genre. It's one of the few movies that I could re-watch over and over and never get tired of it. Even with the twist, I don't get tired of it like other movies that rely on that. Shot beautifully, story is fantastic, casting and acting are amazing; what more can you ask for. Also that song (On the Nature of Daylight) is so beautiful and haunting just enhances the movie that much more.
I saw a "waterfall of clouds" flying at night between Hong Kong and Dehli...illuminated by a full moon, with the stars visible above in a clear sky. One of the most magnificent natural phenomena I've ever seen. And no, I didn't have a camera 😪
I’ve seen those “waterfall” clouds in places like West Virginia and parts of Appalachia. You gotta get out early in the morning in order to catch it though. I was road tripping through that area and caught it at 5-6am and it was gorgeous.
The gift of non linear language and freedom from the constraints of time is held by all of humanity. As some learn the language and time takes new meaning, the information of the collective, the consciousness of all people, is freed too. That is how she knew what the dying words of the Chinese presidents wife were. He didn't hear his wife last words, and that it why he said "thank you". This was a beautiful and imaginative movie, probably one of the top stories and films I've ever watched that blew my mind.
I love how Villaneau is leaning in to his love of SciFi. His next project is the Rama books by Arthur C Clarke and I can’t wait to see that story brought to life as well.💚
1:07 "I don't know how she would know that." about the wife's last words... as it's LITERALLY ON THE SCREEN being whispered in her ear... the movie literally explains it to you early on: if you study a language, it can change the way you think. heptopods perceive across time, so does she as she learns the language. she's not slipping time, she's just able to see the future in the present. that's how she can read books that haven't been written and have conversations about things that haven't yet happened that inform the conversations she will have between then and now.
I have watched this movie several times now. I have spent time peeling back the layers of this exceedingly intelligent science fiction movie. One possible interpretation of it occurred to me after watching this reaction. Let me preface this by saying that I'm an atheist, I literally have no dog in this race. But it seems to me that this movie could be interpreted as an allegory to the crucifixion. Louise's character is by all definition superhuman after her interaction with the aliens. A god, in a sense. She can see time forwards and backward. Something no other human can do. Yet she brings the child into existence and then willingly sacrifices her daughter, knowing that she will come to a cruel and early death. Much the same can be said of God. Doesn't he know what's going to happen in the future and what has happened in the past due his omnipotence? Didn't he know what cruel and untimely death would become of Jesus? If you follow me, the gender roles are swapped. Jeremy renner's character would be Mary. The 12 locations possibly related to the 12 apostles. I'm just spitballing here. Perhaps someone with religious knowledge could do a better job than my paltry attempt at explaining it. Then again, maybe my shrooms are kicking in.
I saw this in the theater back in the day, and I had to stay in my seat a few minutes after it was over. Such a heartbreakingly beautiful film. One of my all-time favorites. Thank you for reacting to it.
Shang told her his wife's dying words in the flash forward when he was whispering in her ear, just like he gave her his phone number. And the entire movie is a palindrome. The whole thing is circular, like the language. It's genius :)
16:26 “Oxygen level 20%? Dang!” Honestly can’t tell if you called that out because you thought it’s a bad thing, or because that’s _exactly_ what it should be for humans. Because 20-21% oxygen is pretty perfect. Most of our atmosphere and what we breathe is nitrogen; only about one fifth is actually oxygen. We generally don’t want too much more for too long, and we certainly don’t want much less.
Caught that too and my lil nerd brain activated 😅. To be exact, 19.5% and below is consider oxygen deficient or something is displacing oxygen, and 23.5% and above is considered an oxygen rich environment and is prone to something going KABOOM from a spark.
I get a little frustrated when people describe Amy's character's experience as 'time travelling' or 'seeing the future'. She's doing neither of those things. I realize people are processing and/or struggling to express their thoughts, but it's a belittling of what is actually happening.. ie - her experiencing her entire life simultaneously. Non-linear existence.
Shes not just remembering. When she "slips" to another point in time, she's existing at that point as her present. She's living life simultaneously, and non-linear time is very hard for 4 dimensional minds like ours to comprehend.
One of the things Denis Villeneuve does in his movies, he does not treat the audience like they are stupid. Rarely is there the Captain Obvious exposition in his films. He assumes you will figure out the message, but also you know from his movies that there is always a hidden message and current. Always a moral question that must be considered.
seeing the reveal hit aaron was absolute perfection. i love this movie so much, the cinematography and score are just so ethereal and disorienting and beautiful. it definitely holds up to rewatches too, once you know the twist you can start to pick it apart and yet it's still just as tragic and emotional. i loved seeing you both rave about the filmmaking and storytelling along the way, i'm glad it hit you as hard as it me!
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40:35 really guys? 😂😂
The way I see it, from Louise's perspective it isn't a choice about whether or not to give their future daughter however brief a life. To Louise, Hannah has already lived that life. To take away a life already lived is a much harder choice to make than to prevent that life from happening at all.
Damn...
Agreed, although I still think Ian should have been able to make this decision too. Not exactly fair for him. Making a child is a 2 person decision.
Well cant she always see her daughter too since she can relive? those memories
@@iCortex1she learned time happens all at once on a set course. as op said, she already was conceived, born, and died. the choice was already decided.
That's what I was gonna write down. Had the same thought process during the question if you know the Future would you change things...
the movie literally TELLS you the twist in the opening few lines, yet we still never see it coming... what a screenplay, what a movie!
@@GT_1307The clues might be there but we are blind to them. To see means to act.
@@GT_1307 bro stop pretending you caught one of the biggest twist in movies. i bet you saw 6th sense ending coming too huh?
Because Louise learned the aliens language, her daughter is always a living presence. She can experience her short life at any time. Ian doesn't speak the language so for him, her life was finite.
This is such a beautiful film. I am forever salty Amy Adams wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this film. It's an incredible performance.
never thought bout it that way. Interesting
Agree completely! I love this view! It makes total sense, and still it hit me like a hammer even after watching this film maybe 6 times. Thank you.
along with Ian's mention near the beginning that if you immerse oneself in a language, you begin to view things like people who speak that language - Ian is a mathematician, and because he wasn't so proficient in acquiring a new language couldn't pick up the alien language or way of experiencing time
Louise had visions of her daughter so it did happen, there was no choice to make. Our thinking there was a choice to make is a false premise. She would not have visions of her daughter if her future self had chosen against getting pregnant / giving birth. I love the non linear time angle the film presents! Only film I'm aware of that has done that. I'm curious to know if anyone else knows of one like it?
I cried so much
"How did she know the wife's dying words?"
It's the classic Bootstrap Paradox in timey-wimey media. General Shang actually tells her, it's what he was whispering to her in that scene. She knows because she is looking-at/remembering the future. General Shang tells her that because in the past, she tells that to General Shang.
Exactly, and the reason he says "I'm not sure why, but I believe it was important for you to see this" is because he doesn't know the universal language yet but WILL learn it in the future. His future self knows that his past self is supposed to do this but it doesn't make sense to him yet because the "time loop" is only closed when you learn the language.
It's honestly a genius way of doing "time travel"
Someone reacting somewhere had translated his words to a Classic Chinese art of war saying to the effect soldiers must do the right hard thing?… wish I could find that translation……his past wife and her future daughter were part of the story..
These guys dont watch the movie theyre watching lol
@@rcmorl6390 "In war, there are no victors, only widows" something like that
yeah, i was confused how he was questioning as she was being told his wife’s dying words . 🤷🏾♂️
I'm glad they went with naming her Hannah instead of Racecar.
Or Tacocat 😜
@@lkf8799 hmmm, you may have just named my future cat...
😭😭😭
Or Boobytrap.
Oh wait, that's Partyboob backwards. My bad.
Interestingly, they're still Mom and Dad. The whole family is palindromes...
It's interesting that you mentioned the cinematography. Arrival's cinematography was done by Bradford Young, who incidentally became the first African-American cinematographer to be nominated for an Academy Award for his work on this film. His other films include Selma and A Most Violent Year.
p.s.; The Chinese General's wife's final words, translated, was 'In war there are no winners, only widows.'
Did Bradford Young win the Academy Award or was he snubbed? He deserves the recognition no doubt!
"And she's seen it too." That's the thing though. She hasn't just seen it. She's lived it. This is an illustration of just how difficult it is to understand the concept of time being non-linear. When you talk about her seeing the future you are still talking about time being linear. The point of this movie is that it's not. The future is the past. The past is the future. It's all one big circle.
Exactly, and that's also why Louise can't choose to not have the child or not to tell Ian about her death, because everything already happened
@@Leo-jk1lm No they can still change events though. Hence the need to visit Earth and do all this at all
@geneticjen9312 They didn't change that though, they were always going to this planet, she was already seeing her daughter before interacting with the aliens.
The beautiful thing about knowing the end of your daughter is that you will never waste a single moment and know every moment is precious.
And THAT is the joy and devastation of this movie. She knew she would lose her, and spent every moment she could with her. A testament to love and life. You WILL lose everyone you love. Full stop. This movie broke and remade me.
And in a way, since Louise can slip through time, she will always be able to live Hannah's life and death all the time. Kind of like, if you can witness all of your past and all of your future, everything can become your present.
This is one of those movies where it doesn't even feel right to just call it a movie. It's really an experience, it's a lesson.
I don’t. I always distinguish between a MOVIE and a FILM. This is a film.
@eddietucker7005 yes!
@@eddietucker7005 aren’t all Villaneuves films?
Him and Nolan are peak filmmaking and creating cinema experiences (I know contrarians think differently)
I had seen this a few times and decided one night I could let it lull me to sleep. I ended up watching the whole thing.. again.
Different people will take different lessons from the film. For me, the clear lesson is that humanity has to come together to solve global problems.
Sadly the most powerful & ultra wealthy who own politicians, media & merchants of fear are very good at sowing & maintaining division to maintain their power & wealth.
“They” are desperately using culture wars to distract from the 0.1% waging class war on the bottom 99%.
"I forgot how good it felt to be held by you" fucks me up every time I hear it. Such an amazing movie.
Imagine grieving your lost child (who has yet to be born), and mourning the end of your marriage before you even start dating your future partner. That moment brought tears to my eyes, too. She knows he’s going to resent her for the “choice” she made, but she still welcomed it.
She wasn't 'timeslipping' she was remembering a conversation she had in the future. That's how their language works it enables your thoughts to move through time. That's how she knew the general's wife's dying words she was remembering the conversation she was yet to have with him, the conversation the movie showed us.
It's very paradoxical in some ways. She convinces him then has to have the conversation in the future where she learns the words she needs to convince him in the past.
So in other words… her mind was time slipping
@@simplebull210I think she was remembering it in real time, kind of as it was happening, so not necessarily slipping more she can’t remember because she doesn’t have the memory yet
Weird shit but I think that’s right lol
@@simplebull210 If you remember something from your past, are you time slipping?
@@GreatOutdoors1no because human minds can’t perceive the future lol, it’s not the same thing
I get that within the world of this film the difference doesn’t exist, which is fun, but functionally for humans memory works and only works in one direction lol
@@boat1280 im glad I didn’t have to respond to that because i guess he didn’t understand that all those flashes were future memories not past memories haha thanks
I saw this in theaters, and the sounds the heptapods made shook your entire body. Chills, man.
chills, literally chills
How is it that no one knows what a canary in a coal mine is?
Because the children no longer to be in the mines. 😂😂😂
@@RealBradMiller It wasn't just used for chlldren.
To identify if the air is still breathable.
I'm surprised that you'd be surprised. These people literally monetized ignorance. Can't really be surprised about anything they don't know, when it's the whole reason to even watch them.
I do miss the days we rewarded knowledge and skill over ignorance and ineptitude 🤷♂️
ikr. i remember reading about it in history
I remember watching this in the theater and scoffing when I noticed the third blatant plot-hole, then gasping when it dawned on me what was happening with the timeline. The third act was one of the best movie-watching experiences I've ever had.
I love that the human reaction to this story is to go "oh maybe she can change it now" In the short story the question of free will comes up. And Louise's answer is so wild. She basically explains that they cant change the future, the past, present and future are. Time is a circle what's gonna happen will happen. The free choice comes in knowing that, and still choosing it. Louise knows her daughter is going to die, and she chooses to have her anyway.
For those wondering, the string piece featured at the beginning and end is called "On The Nature Of Daylight" by Max Richter. It's one of the most sad and beautiful contemporary classical songs ever made.
This is the song that introduced me to the genius of Max Richter--he is one of the most amazing composers.
It's also used in Stranger than Fiction, Shutter Island, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Last of Us, and it's getting to be like Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" - like, yes, it's great, it gorgeous, can we put a moratorium on it for ten years or something.
It was also used very effectively in the Disney film Togo.
Just an incredible piece! We heard it in Shutter Island recently and despite it coming out first I felt like the song belongs more to Arrival
@@InktoFilmIf you love animals, especially dogs, check out Togo. This music track at the end of the film will have you in tears.
When Denis Villeneuve reveals the pod to us, the clouds coming down the mountain are real. He filmed this scene in a small coastal village in the Bas-St-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. There is a lot of fog in this beautiful region.
It's the only movie I've ever seen that shows how it feels to learn a foreign language and really understand it. It does change how you think, how you interpret the world, how you express yourself. It's not as awesome as being able to time-travel in your mind but it's pretty life-changing sometimes.
It's not the language but the entire foreign culture that does that. What is the point of a language if you can't use it? In my country, we learn three languages at school. Nothing life changing about it. Visiting another country, far away, on the other hand.
If you come out of school fluent in three languages, then I can see why you’d take for granted the transformative power of that. Lots of countries are not like that.
@@caleidoo Foreign culture can certainly do that but so does the languages themselves. If you don't feel it, it's probably because either you're not that fluent in those languages yet or those languages aren't that drastically different from each other. Things like slangs are perfect examples, terms that can't achieve the same effect by being translated word by word. They force the brain to operate in a different settings. There's also other things such as in French, you're constantly aware of the number 20 in their number system; in Korean and Japanese, the way you speak alter depends on the age and social status of the person you talk to; and in Abaric, how so many expressions are tied to religion (even just their common greetings). It's not even an overstatement to say that a person can have different personas when speaking different languages.
@@louisegua1547 Like I said: it's the culture, not the words an sich.
Agreed. In India, most of us are at least trilingual here, i.e., English, Hindi and a regional mother tongue from a specific state you're born from. I had been fortunate enough to get to know a fourth one living in a different state as a teenager.
Once you tune your brain to really "understand" another language either by their writing or speaking, you understand the minds of their people and how they think. It allows you to navigate conversations way more easily. Most native Asian languages have complex structures different for both writing and speaking. Understanding even just one of them fully can take a huge chunk of your life.
In the prologue, when Hannah dies, Louise says "Come back to me."
In the epilogue, Louise remembers the future and thus knows that Hannah "comes back" to her.
General Chang's wife's dying words: "Wars do not make heroes, only widows and orphans."
Thank you!
Always amazed how science fiction can take such complex concepts and transform them into intimately human stories. Just a beautiful exploration of free will and time.
Aaron’s reaction to the reveal is everything I needed from this video 🤣🤣 No but all the way through this is a great reaction, one of my absolute favorite movies I’ve ever seen, I’m so glad you guys liked it!
I read the short story this movie's based on, and both are masterpieces. I love that the movie shows flash-forwards even before we see Louise get the gift. Because, if you perceive time fluidly or as circular, it doesn't matter when you obtain the ability to do so, because continuity is a linear concept of time and progression. So, if she gets the gift then, has she always had it? Well kinda, because again, time is non-linear for her. That's such an interesting paradoxical thought, that my brain sure isn't advanced enough to fully grasp, which is entirely the point.
Now that's some quantum shit right there..
The story has 1 mind crushing difference. Spoiler:
The daughter(I believe) dies in a climbing accident. 😮😢
But this movie was written by man so the concept is of man and therefore not complex or grand at all.
The start of the movie (or rather the ending) isn't a flash-forwards, though. It was a narrative by Louis, so the start wasn't really Louis experiencing a flash forward. You didn't see her having this until she started interacting with the heptapods, which when she started immersing herself in their language.
Ted Chiang is brilliant. Highly recommend his other work, Hell is the Absence of God for a completely different but equally fascinating examination of our existence
The following movies released in a 2-year span between 2014-16...Edge of Tomorrow, Interstellar, The Martian and Arrival. Pretty solid stretch.
Edge of tomorrow is so underrated. It doesnt have the best or deepest characters or plot, but its just so fun to watch
@@GT_1307 You don't need to buy any.....just scoop some out from between your ears. LOL!
My least favorite was the Martian but it's still a pretty solid sci-fi story. And all four were actual sci-fi films.
Maybe the best few years for scifi in this generation
Time being non-linear, they are able to jump to a point in time without ever experiencing the time between. Louise didn't know what to say to the Chinese General until he told her.
She’s essentially bootstrapping knowledge out of the aether with the grandfather paradox
It's not about him telling her; it's about her remembering what he told her.
she's remembering the "future."
@@Heisenberg-mx8fw she remembers nothing, she lived in the future at that point he told her, she's 4 dimensional being, able to go through her life as easily as we wlak through 4 dimensions.
@@wolfwing1 nah dog run that back and try again lmao
@@dusky6280 no I'm right you don't understand how 4 dimensional beings works. She's not in the future remembering, she's in the future right after being in the past, there is no inbetween, she deduced it. Since she hadn't experiened making the phone call yet, there was nothing to remember. A 4d being experiences all of their timeline as we experience walking in 3 dimensions. When she went to the future she had never been in the past where she talked to him on the phone. Thats also why he has to tell her what she told him, she didn't remember it, as she hadn't done it yet.
The bird being there was a modern day "canary in the coal mine" situation because of the 'alien' ships atmosphere...so long as the bird stays alive, so will the human. If the bird suddenly dies, the human is not far behind..😁
Exactly. The reason they used canaries is because a bird's respiration rate is much faster than human's, so the canary is breathing in whatever is in the air much faster; therefore, the canary will be affected much faster. And canaries are very vocal birds; if the canary is suddenly silent, then they know to check it right away.
Yeah , that is why she looked at the bird before removing the protective equipment
I learned of this when I was a teenager and first heard the awesome song by The Police.
"First to fall over when the atmosphere is less than perfect
Your sensibilities are shaken by the slightest defect
You live your life like a canary in a coalmine
You get so dizzy even walking in a straight line"
I was shocked they had no clue about this.
Since I haven't seen it mentioned in the comments yet, I'll point out that the choice of "Abbot and Costello" for the aliens' names is appropriate since the comedy duo Abbot and Costello's most famous bit is "Who's On First?" which is all about miscommunication (and words potentially having multiple meanings, thereby altering each person's interpretation of what's being said).
Thanks!!
Such a good point.
Ahhhhh! Great catch!
Arrival is in my top 25 all time films. Felt it deserved the Oscar. The score used at the beginning and end of the film was perfect.
i agree. the choice of that music was so fitting and impactful
1:06:59 he’s literally telling her in the future. She’s repeating what he’s saying. 😂
Like bro how did he not understand that? Did he think they were just yapping about nothing?
@@kazkilla1I know like.. the film just showed that he showed her the phone number.. the exact same mechanic
YES I was like BROTHER....he's whispering in her ear lol
I absolutely love this movie. I’ve seen it multiple times and it never gets old. I first saw it while pregnant with my first child. I had to re-wach it the next day. I think it resonates with all parents. You have a child and you KNOW they will suffer, have their heart broken, they will fall ill, they will be scared, but they will also have joy, love, hope and amazing, surprising moments.
Your guys' reaction to the twist is exactly what reaction youtubers are for! Loved this guys
Very emotional movie, Amy's criminally underrated
They're not giving her visions. She experiences time differently now that she's able to think in their language
But she was having visions of Hannah before even the aliens arrived, she didn't know the language then, I didn't get that
@@veena-8853 Because time is now circular for her, it doesn't matter how we see her life events unfold, to her past present and future don't really matter anymore. Plus, the visions of Hanah from the opening of the movie, was "the future" long after the aliens came and went. Once she understood their language, time basically didn't matter anymore for her (other than aging etc. I'm assuming lol) and the procession of events from past to future and always living in the present stopped being a thing for her.
You mentioned Watchmen earlier in the review, and Louise perceives time like Dr. Manhattan does. She is actually living these periods of time. The crazy part is when you realize that Abbott and Costello knew that one of them was going to die during this trip
“Abbot is death process” makes me so sad every time 🥺
As a sci-fi nerd that went to school for linguistics, this was a breath of fresh air. I say this flick was Quapla! (Klingon for success or victory)
💯💯💯
" How does she know the wifes dying words" The dude was literally repeating the dying words into her ear in the future as hes saying how does she know and he doesnt get it lmao
I think they mean like why does the general deliberately says what Louise needed to hear which to be fair it was also a question I had the first time, but now after seeing it multiple times, I now realize that the general shang at that point also knew the heptapod language and given that he said "I felt that you had to know this" while showing his phone number and then his wife's dying words, I think he saw that he had to show her that even if it was not yet apparent what the main goal was... Hope it's not too messy to understand 🖖
Commander meant how did the reactors understand that she knew the phone number because he gave it to her, but they didn't understand that he also gave her the dying words
@@BrilliantDemise Yeah I understood what happened @joseph I thought they meant they didnt understand how she knew what his wifes dying words were is what I was explaining if they meant it the way you explained then I misunderstood them. Hope yall havin good day with ur fams Merry Xmas!
@@commanderludwig6009 Merry crimbo to you aswell 🖖
yeah i don't know why it was such a hard thing to understand. i'm always amazed when people don't get the ending... it was pretty clear....
“I forgot how good it felt to be held by you” DAMN gets me every time.
She knows the wife's last words for the exact same reason she knows his cell phone number. Because he told her exactly what she showed her his cellphone number at that meeting, and said "I believe it is important from me to do this."
Which means, I believe he understood a bit of the language as well and something told him he needed to tell her those things then or she wouldn't be able to remember the future in the past.
I love this film so much. It’s so beautiful. The message is something the world needs to understand so badly. Hannah’s short life was such a beautiful representation of how our concept of time is flawed. And the score…It hits a deep chord in my soul. I can’t watch this film or reactions without getting emotional. I don’t know how anyone can hate it.
They're looking at the bird to determine whether or not the atmosphere is breathable, have you ever heard of a canary in a coal mine??
I have never seen a reaction channel understand that. Not one! They all get super confused by the bird.
not really something 'kids' now know :)
@@Shax117I guess that's true, in my generation, it's common knowledge, but I need to understand it isn't for all.
I never made the ‘canary in a coal mine’ connection but I figured it was for a similar thing. If an animal dies or starts freaking out, it’s probably an indicator of wrong in the environment.
@@Shax117I’m in my early twenties and I knew from growing up watching cartoons and shows that reference canaries in a coal mine. There’s not really an excuse for people my age to not know when it’s a common phrase
My favorite palindrome: "A man a plan a canal Panama". Arrival is among my top five favorite movies. Getting to watch others see it for the first time is the next best thing to being able to experience it fresh again.
Sometimes you watch a movie you know nothing about and your jaw drops of the story, cinematography etc. This was one of mine! And there weren’t that many tbh. Love stories that makes you think how we see and define life and everything we take for granted. Great reaction guys!
the main theme is actually about 20 years old, they selected an existing song specifically for the movie. imo they selected it because not only is it beautiful and fitting but the song title is "On The Nature Of Daylight." the nature of daylight is that although its temporary and passing, even when it seems like its gone from one point of view, its not really lost, its still shining and being actively experienced in another point, so there is no reason to mourn its loss.
I really like how Louise and Ian embrace each other for the first time because instead of high romance kiss new love fire. It’s an embrace of two couples who have love each other for a long time.
I forgot that the score just starts right off the bat like that. Stunning
I loved watching your realizations at the end. I wish I could watch again for the first time. After revealing his phone number, when he whispers in her ear he says what his wife’s dying words were.
Touchingly deep and thought provoking film. My favorite from Denis Villeneuve and probably my favorite of all time.
So now that you've seen the end, you have to watch the intro again. It hits way different
Louise learns what General Shang's wife's dying words were because he told her in the future. He gave her his phone number and told her the words. Also depicting how time is circular (similar to how the language is written in a circular fashion).
Absolutely love this film and love that the cinematographer is Bradford Young, who went to an HBCU :)
Based on “Story of Your Life,” it should have won Adaptation Screenplay. It was nominated for 8 Oscars and only won for Film Editing. It did really well in Brazil. This film is in my top 25 best films of all time. The script blew me away! It something you can ponder on for years.
Arrival, Interstellar and 2001 a space odyssey. Three sci-fi masterpieces hollywood ever made.
… and Blade Runner 😁
@ yes,
She didn't forget that she called the general on the phone, she hadn't experienced it yet. That point in time was happening in real time for her which is how she was able to relay the message. When she sees the future she isn't just seeing it, she's actually in the moment interacting with her surroundings and that goes for all the times you think she is "seeing" the future. That's how non-linear time works.
I think you're right, but also: I think it only works that way for her because she's learning the language but not yet completely fluent in it and not considering it her first language, meaning she does still mostly perceive time as linear. That's why she is confused, she's kinda caught between the two ways of perceiving the world. It's such an interesting concept.
The music was also used in the incredible episode 3 of The Last of Us and Shutter Island, it always makes me cry. It’s a beautiful piece called On the Nature of Daylight by the brilliant Max Richter
As soon as the first notes began in episode 3 of The Last of Us, I knew I was going to lose it.
When I first saw this film in theatres I was so blown away by all of it that I absolutely loved it, but didn't get very emotional. Partly because my brain was more focused on (and fascinated by) all the concepts, but mainly because I tend to push away emotional responses within myself. But the second time I watched it, DAMN, did it get emotional. So many gut punches. What a brilliant film.
that's what hooked me about this movie. that commitment to realism and maturity. most alien movies i've seen approach it from an action or horror standpoint. it's about how to survive, how they're gonna kill us, how we're gonna kill them, bang, bang, explosion, etc. but this was such a slow, methodical introduction. what if they don't immediately attack and just linger? what would our response be? what would the global response and social effects be? i've never seen it done that way before. and even after they show us the aliens, it wasn't about just us vs them. and the way villeneueve plays with time, just like in a nolan movie, is so nice. also props to the writer ted chiang who made the novel which this is based on. such an interesting idea
It's the same reason why 'Project Hail Mary' is one of my favorite books - it examines that same concept of a peaceful first contact grounded in a certain amount of reality.
This movie is an entirely different experience in subsequent watches, and they are just as good if not better than the first. The subtleties in Louise's acting is so incredible - you notice that she is confused during/after each future-memory rather than just mourning a lost child, you see all the clues that the father is Ian, etc.
That scene in the future is serendipitously placed at the very beginning with no context.
Louise doesn't see the future. Fully understanding Heptapod language literally opened up seeing time from any point for her, which is why & how she responded to conversations in the future even though she exists in the present.
Anyone heard of déjà rêvé? There's a theory that we can already see the future in our dreams but we just forget or dismiss it as a dream. Déjà rêvé occurs when you feel like you've already experienced an event because you saw it in a dream long ago that you forgot.
She doesn’t say yes to the baby, she already has a life with Hannah. She already griefed her death. Its all at once. Not time travel.
She knows the wife's dying words because General Shang is telling them to her in a future time
Yeah I thought that would be obvious to them, as they'd already just figured out that she was taking information from the future to use in the present.
My favorite movie ever. It somehow gets better every time I watch it. There is so much detail. The Heptapod's technology is so advanced because they were able to use the timetool to get it from the future. The same way that Louise used it to read the book. Denis Villeneuve might be the best sci-fi director ever.
One of the best movies of the last 20 years! ♥The reveal/twist is awesome! Just a brilliant film!
Amy Adams & film should've been nominated/won Oscars! Really enjoyed your guys comments & analysis! Kudos! 👍
My *MOST* favorite movie!! This movie is a delightful onion that has endless layers of meanings and feelings 🩵 I sobbed in the theater for 15 minutes after it ended.
This movie is great. The Linguistics are well-researched and pretty realistic to how field linguistics is done, which is what attracted me to watching the film when I did in the first place.
Also, p.s. A linguist can be a scientist :D
One of my favorite films of all time.
If I was an alien I too would only trust Amy Adams
Nice. I like Ted Chiang's SF stories, and back when I read the one this is based on, like most of his work, I thought it couldn't be made into a film. Along comes genius Canadian Denis Villeneuve... and we get magic. Damn, what a film. Easily one of the best films in the past 25 years.
Beautiful and delicate movie, I loved it. I love the entire concept of the aliens, the struggle to make contact, and the fear of the unknown with all the different interpretations of their actions by the different nations.
I am beyond ecstatic that you guys got to see Arrival for the first time. I saw this movie in theatres 4 times and loved it each time, the very first time I was a mess and had to stay back to be able to to collect myself and calm down, was pretty emotional and felt stupid balling my eyes out around a bunch of people. This is one movie that if anyone hasn't seen it do yourself a favor and don't read or watch any spoilers, the experiencing this movie is not the same if you know already. This movie continues to be in my top 3, somedays I even think it is my favorite.
As someone who loves languages, this movie is definitely one of my favorites! The heptapods' language alone is fascinating and I just love Louise's approach. Then we have the cinematics, the music, the sound design, the twist, etc. Just a great movie!
1:06:32 Aaron, he was telling her in that moment at the party. You could hear her saying on the phone what he told her.
Absolute masterpiece,when i first watched this movie it stayed with me for weeks...moments of it living in my conciousness,making me face the questions and situations,such a deep,strong,intellectual thought provoking movie....Villeneuve peaked with this offering.
You mentioned the idea of making the decision to have her daughter knowing what would happen. Of going through that loss.
But I think the question she is asking is “how could I not let my daughter have the life she can have and give up on those times of joy when I’ve already experienced all of that.” It’s why at the beginning of the film the “future memories” are all sad… but at the end they are all showing positive memories.
“If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?”
This movie is beyond brilliant.
Rolling cloud shot was filmed in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec. It was not CGI. Just fog rolling over the hills. They said themselves they were lucky to catch it and started filming. The rest was added afterwards.
This movie is science fiction not because of the aliens... But because of humanity finally coming together and living in peace.
The "waterfall of clouds" is natural. It was filmed in St-Fabien, Québec (Canada). That was not something they wanted to shoot but it happened one day in the field and they started to film it immediately. That's a phenomenon that happens sometimes in this place.
Such a good movie. Easily in my top 10 of all time of any genre. It's one of the few movies that I could re-watch over and over and never get tired of it. Even with the twist, I don't get tired of it like other movies that rely on that. Shot beautifully, story is fantastic, casting and acting are amazing; what more can you ask for. Also that song (On the Nature of Daylight) is so beautiful and haunting just enhances the movie that much more.
I saw a "waterfall of clouds" flying at night between Hong Kong and Dehli...illuminated by a full moon, with the stars visible above in a clear sky. One of the most magnificent natural phenomena I've ever seen.
And no, I didn't have a camera 😪
I’ve seen those “waterfall” clouds in places like West Virginia and parts of Appalachia. You gotta get out early in the morning in order to catch it though. I was road tripping through that area and caught it at 5-6am and it was gorgeous.
I LOVE hearing you two analyze and dissect films, specifically this one. You guys explored and really digested this film and it's themes beautifully
1:06:37
Bro he just whispered them to her 😂
"How does she know?" The same way she knows the phone number
The gift of non linear language and freedom from the constraints of time is held by all of humanity. As some learn the language and time takes new meaning, the information of the collective, the consciousness of all people, is freed too. That is how she knew what the dying words of the Chinese presidents wife were. He didn't hear his wife last words, and that it why he said "thank you".
This was a beautiful and imaginative movie, probably one of the top stories and films I've ever watched that blew my mind.
I love how Villaneau is leaning in to his love of SciFi. His next project is the Rama books by Arthur C Clarke and I can’t wait to see that story brought to life as well.💚
He’s doing Dune Messiah next
@ he wasn’t, he had wanted a break before doing messiah, sounds like it’s still not determined yet based on a quick google search
1:07 "I don't know how she would know that." about the wife's last words... as it's LITERALLY ON THE SCREEN being whispered in her ear...
the movie literally explains it to you early on: if you study a language, it can change the way you think. heptopods perceive across time, so does she as she learns the language. she's not slipping time, she's just able to see the future in the present. that's how she can read books that haven't been written and have conversations about things that haven't yet happened that inform the conversations she will have between then and now.
I have watched this movie several times now. I have spent time peeling back the layers of this exceedingly intelligent science fiction movie. One possible interpretation of it occurred to me after watching this reaction. Let me preface this by saying that I'm an atheist, I literally have no dog in this race. But it seems to me that this movie could be interpreted as an allegory to the crucifixion. Louise's character is by all definition superhuman after her interaction with the aliens. A god, in a sense. She can see time forwards and backward. Something no other human can do. Yet she brings the child into existence and then willingly sacrifices her daughter, knowing that she will come to a cruel and early death.
Much the same can be said of God. Doesn't he know what's going to happen in the future and what has happened in the past due his omnipotence? Didn't he know what cruel and untimely death would become of Jesus? If you follow me, the gender roles are swapped. Jeremy renner's character would be Mary. The 12 locations possibly related to the 12 apostles. I'm just spitballing here. Perhaps someone with religious knowledge could do a better job than my paltry attempt at explaining it. Then again, maybe my shrooms are kicking in.
What is your FAVORITE Sci-Fi Drama??
2001: A Space Odyssey
Interstellar
Annihilation
District 9
Avatar
Predator
Edge of tomorrow
Alien
List goes on...
I like Contact alot.
This
Contact was amazing.@@raymondkhessel1340
I saw this in the theater back in the day, and I had to stay in my seat a few minutes after it was over. Such a heartbreakingly beautiful film. One of my all-time favorites. Thank you for reacting to it.
every awards season i hope they decide to award amy adams an oscar for her role in this movie
Shang told her his wife's dying words in the flash forward when he was whispering in her ear, just like he gave her his phone number.
And the entire movie is a palindrome. The whole thing is circular, like the language. It's genius :)
16:26 “Oxygen level 20%? Dang!” Honestly can’t tell if you called that out because you thought it’s a bad thing, or because that’s _exactly_ what it should be for humans. Because 20-21% oxygen is pretty perfect. Most of our atmosphere and what we breathe is nitrogen; only about one fifth is actually oxygen. We generally don’t want too much more for too long, and we certainly don’t want much less.
Caught that too and my lil nerd brain activated 😅. To be exact, 19.5% and below is consider oxygen deficient or something is displacing oxygen, and 23.5% and above is considered an oxygen rich environment and is prone to something going KABOOM from a spark.
Given the movie, the “let us know in 3-4 years” joke was spot on 😂😂
Good work on the vid gents
I guess you've never heard of fog or the phrase "fog rolling in." Clouds don't need to be at a high elevation to roll over a hill or mountain.
I could listen to Aaron talk about movies for hours. He’s just on point man. I feel like I’m back in a film class. Great episode!!!!
I get a little frustrated when people describe Amy's character's experience as 'time travelling' or 'seeing the future'. She's doing neither of those things. I realize people are processing and/or struggling to express their thoughts, but it's a belittling of what is actually happening.. ie - her experiencing her entire life simultaneously. Non-linear existence.
Right, she remembers things in the future just like we remember things in our past without the need for us to time travel to the past.
Shes not just remembering. When she "slips" to another point in time, she's existing at that point as her present. She's living life simultaneously, and non-linear time is very hard for 4 dimensional minds like ours to comprehend.
One of the things Denis Villeneuve does in his movies, he does not treat the audience like they are stupid. Rarely is there the Captain Obvious exposition in his films. He assumes you will figure out the message, but also you know from his movies that there is always a hidden message and current. Always a moral question that must be considered.
This director can do no wrong when it comes to sci fi and I really hope he gets his oscar very soon bcoz he deserves it. Also the score❤
seeing the reveal hit aaron was absolute perfection. i love this movie so much, the cinematography and score are just so ethereal and disorienting and beautiful. it definitely holds up to rewatches too, once you know the twist you can start to pick it apart and yet it's still just as tragic and emotional. i loved seeing you both rave about the filmmaking and storytelling along the way, i'm glad it hit you as hard as it me!
As both a linguistics nerd and a major sci fi fan, this is one of my all-time favorite films. Just perfect (and I cry every single time).