Arrival: The very night before the daylight!
Every film consists of three parts; more or less like the law of magic tricks. The beginning, where the characters are introduced and the plot is summarized. The middle, where the conflict that hinders the titular character from reaching his or her goal, is issued. The ending, where the characters challenge the overarching conflict and may or may not succeed it. But, Arrival doesn’t really fit in this category. Maybe, the restructuring of sequences might help in fitting it.
Arrival is a strong-hitting film that you’ve always been looking forward to; all this time. There’s innovation in its subtlety. And, there’s no melodrama in its melancholy. You’ve got to take a leap of faith and trust me on this say. The film, itself is a deeply thought disposition of our life’s indefinite nature.
Unlike Steven Spielberg’s obsession, ‘Close encounters of the third kind’, Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival is a well tailored product from finish to start that ends with no loose or ambiguous ending. Yes, Arrival is a consciously vicious circle that’s complete. Though the movie may seem like you’re traveling a fog-less, crystal path, you’re actually not. Yet, unlike Christopher Nolan’s space opera, Interstellar, Arrival ain’t clumsy or convoluted either. Yet, it’s complicated. But, only in its narrative structure. That makes it seemingly flow like water just as its emotionally resounding backstory.
If Denis had gone with an idea of segregating the future and the present by B/W and any other filter, people would have definitely guessed there’s something wrong with the happenings. Or it’d have caused accusations of using a similar artillery like films Memento and Lucia did. Instead, to portray Dr. Louise Banks’ imagery, Denis had used an unique and an artistic approach. It is by depicting Louise’s futuristic vision in form of montages like Terrence Malick would shoot things with his rig; hand-held, yet, beautiful.
If you look back at the past, almost all great films have an outstanding score that might either exhilarate or at the least, aid the film. Johann’s score for Arrival falls in the latter kind. His non-typical music really relishes a hauntingly beautiful theme that immerses us in a steady stream of rhythm throughout the entire course of its running time.
And, when the end arrives, you may or may not be mind-blown. Yet, you’ll have your heart broken. You’d be sure of what had happened. There would be nothing more to know within the four frames. Yet, there would be so much left to conceive and realize outside them. That’s what makes Arrival, an unconventionally exceptional film of our time.
I, as an individual, absolutely struck in the awe of Arrival. Have you seen it before? What do you think about it? Do we share the same lane?