Great movie about being human (contains spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (26 January 2017)

It's been a long time since I've walked out of a theater thinking my life has been enriched, and since I've been so in awe of the subtlety and beauty presented on the screen. "Arrival" had that effect for me.
This is a captivating movie about first contact with aliens and how humans handle our fear of the unknown and go about establishing communication. It's a huge concept, and yes, it's been explored before. I think "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke is the prototype most other stories follow to some degree.
It's completely serious even though life is funny: "Trust me, you can understand communication and still end up single."
There are so many clichés involved with "first contact" by now that it's hard to avoid all of them. This film has a few. But one of the things I like is that when the aliens leave, it's not in a flash of light and thunder, nor a streak of stars, nor any other display of massive power -- they just fade into clouds and mist. These aliens don't need to impress us with pyrotechnics.
Another thing I like is the low-key approach that Amy Adams' character uses to establish communication. There are no hysterics, just quiet competence mixed with brilliant insight. The first word she uses in reaching out is "human."
And that leads to the real surprise -- when it turns out that the aliens are just a side story! This is really a story about time, and our perception of time as we sort out the sequence of events in the film. But most of all, it's a story about the strength of a mother's desire for and love of her child -- and the decision to have the child even when she knows the child will not live a normal life. It's about what it means to be human and why humanity survives:
To be human is to love and to love our kids. Any parent will get this.