by David Keating
The Keating Files – November 13, 2020
One of the strangest Hollywood careers to observe is that of Denis Villeneuve. He makes visually spectacular movies with compelling narratives that challenge us to think a little bit more deeply about the world around us. Yet, none of his movies perform particularly well at the box office.
Famously, his 2017 directorial effort Blade Runner 2049 ended up costing the studio quite a bit of money. Despite the lackluster financial performances, I think his movies have a real way of sticking with us, long after we have finished viewing them for the first time.
Villeneuve was tapped to direct the upcoming Dune movie and I’ve taken the anticipation for that film as an opportunity to go back and look at some of his previous work. Last week, I watched Arrival (2016). Arrival focuses on a PhD translator and linguist named Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams) as she makes contact with a mysterious group of aliens whose purpose is unclear as to why they arrived on Earth. Through use of language and communication, Dr. Banks is able to communicate with the strange aliens and, in so doing, discover a way of communication that can be transmitted throughout time and space, effectively bonding humanity together in a way that it previously was incapable of being.
Part of the reason why the movie works so well is because it is told out of order in order to emphasize the key theme of the movie: Would you still embrace the journey your life is on if you knew the ending? As the film opens we are introduced to Louise and her daughter. We watch as her daughter gets older and matures. We see an argument between the daughter and Louise during the daughter’s teenage years. We see other major moments in the daughter’s life. Eventually we see the daughter and Louise in a room with a doctor. The two of them receive bad news and eventually the daughter dies from an incurable disease.
From here, we see Dr. Banks alone in her home, presumably recovering from the grief of losing her child. Throughout the rest of the film, she works with another scientist named Ian Donnelly (portrayed by Jeremy Renner) as they work to make a breakthrough in this strange new language that the alien visitors have presented to them. Eventually, Dr. Banks begins to dream in their language and is able to translate the language for herself. As she becomes “fluent” in the language she starts seeing things that haven’t happened yet. She sees the fact that her husband will eventually leave her over the news of her daughter’s illness.
At the climax of the film, Dr. Banks tells Dr. Donnelly, “I know why my husband left me.” To which Donnelly replies, “I didn’t know you were married.” It’s at this moment that the film becomes clear. Dr. Donnelly is her husband and her daughter hasn’t been born yet. She has been able to perceive the outcome of her life through this strange language that the alien visitors have given them. The question the audience is left asking is, “Why would she go through with all the pain and heartbreak that she witnessed if she knows how it will end?” The final line in the movie spoken by Dr. Banks offers us an answer. “Despite knowing the journey and where it leads, I embrace it. And I welcome every moment of it."
What a fantastically interesting statement to come out of a major Hollywood release. Arrival upholds a shockingly pro-life message as it points to the fact that, no matter the outcome of one’s life, life still has value at every stage along the way. Even though Louise’s daughter will eventually be diagnosed with an incurable disease, that doesn’t undermine the value that her daughter has as an individual. Importantly, the pain that we experience in life doesn’t subtract from the love which a parent has for their child either. Just because we can’t shelter our loved ones from pain and from suffering doesn’t mean that we deprive them of the experience of life. This is what makes Louise’s decision to still have her marriage and her baby so powerful. Despite knowing how the whole situation plays out, Louis recognizes that the love found between her and her husband, and between the two of them and their daughter is worth any of the hurt that may come along the way as well.
On top of being a surprisingly pro-life movie, I also love the focus on language being something that unites us. Our ability to communicate is what helps us relate to one another and it helps to bind us together culturally. This too is reflected biblically. John identifies Jesus as the Word incarnate in his gospel account. In other words, Christ Jesus is the Word spoken at creation that gave order and meaning to the world even as it was void. Speech then is how God speaks order into the world and creates the very fabric of the world around us. How fitting that it should be speech, language, and communication that once again unites humanity in the world that Arrival crafts.
So, despite this being another film by Denis Villeneuve that didn’t necessarily dominate at the box office, I think it’s an underrated gem and certainly worth a watch, especially from a Christian perspective. It answers the question of whether or not the journey is worthwhile if it ends in a tragic way with an emphatic “Yes, it is absolutely worth it.” In an era where we are told that it is better to avoid pain and suffering at all costs, Villeneuve presents us with a story that reminds us that life is worthwhile, beautiful even, despite the tragedy of the world we live in. And, importantly, he presents us with characters that demonstrate to us that the love we share and experience in our families, and in our interactions with the world around us, triumphs over the loss we are forced to share with one another.
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The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.
Recent by Pastor Keating…
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“Death and Resurrection in Game of Thrones”
“Greta Gerwig’s Church Nostalgia: Why Does Hollywood Miss Christianity?”
“Interstellar: Love, Time, and Space”
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