Stellar intelligence

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2016)

Twelve alien space ships appears in 12 random places on Earth. They don't actually land. They hover like big rocks in the air. No signs of weapon and no manifest intentions. In fact, the Aliens are silent. It's not even clear if there is anybody on board or if they are only big drones learning about Earth and it's dominant species. Who are they? Where do they come from and why have they come? Those are the most important questions for humanity. But the most important question is how do we talk to them? How do we communicate with somebody out of this Earth. After all, we can hardly communicate truly with each other. Dr Louise Banks, played magnificently by Amy Adams goes straight for the basics. Before asking questions in a language we don't understand, we must first understand this language. She must use not only her skills at learning the words and their meanings, but her whole life experience consisting of a failure of communication with her husband and the love for her daughter who died of cancer while still young. We sometimes fail to understand that the insights we get from our life story are also important in moving on to the tasks we set for ourselves. While humans predictably panic and descend into conspiracy theories, she takes chances communicating with the Aliens, helped by her physicist companion. But communications with the octopus-like Aliens has to be done through a transparent wall. Words are exchanged through writings on pads and the Aliens throwing their own words on the wall. All across the world other humans are trying also to communicate with the Aliens. Soon, communications break out between nations and vital knowledge of what the others are doing is unavailable. The atmosphere renders well this breakdown in human communications. There is no dark side, just foggy gray inside and outside the ship. Dr Banks and her physicist friend play off each other for every scrap of understanding. Meanwhile the sound effects and the music are perfectly in synch with the action. In the end, it is physic and true communications that wins the day. A beautiful movie, one that plays to the heart and the intelligence of the audience.
Very well done Mr Villeneuve.