An inspired, visionary, and emotional appeal to knowledge and humanity

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2017)

This movie has done something that rarely happens to me. It has left me emotional on many levels, it has inspired vision, and is very thought provoking. As someone who speaks more than one language fluently, I do understand the difficulty, both, in mastering different meanings, and how one misspoken word can potentially cause conflict.
I've always had a love for science-fiction, especially Star Trek, so the entire concept of mutual understanding, working together, and even the concept that time is not linear, was nothing new to me. In a time and age where it seems that 'racism' is common place again, and in a time, that seems to seed diversity more than unity, this movie touches on something that is very, very true. The fact that only if we all realize that there is only ONE RACE on this world, when we start working together, only then will we truly start making progress. That is where this movie conveys its powerful message.
Whether the alien species shown in this movie recognizes our potential, our creativity, and above all else the one trait that all of us have in common, curiosity, or whether they just found the one other planet close by that has intelligent life, is kept in the dark. It is not important. What we have here is a linguist and a scientist who both try to establish a dialogue, constantly fighting the fear and instinct to lash out by their own, and other country's governments and military. We understand the importance to not surrender to fear, distrust, and paranoia, which is something that plays an all too real role in our time and age.
The conclusion that a single gesture to reach out can change the course of history, and that even cultures that are diverse to the superficial view, have a common ground; basic interaction, personal needs, wishes, and desires, and that those are far more important than any political agenda. The moment we realize that talking to one another, and more importantly listening, is the solution to conflict, a global peace will be possible.
This is a movie about science, knowledge, and understanding. If you don't find that appealing, the entire message may be lost on you anyway, but you would also miss one of the greatest science-fiction movies of all time.