Terrific! In the vein of films like Contact

Rating: 9/10 (13 February 2017)

*SPOLIERS* *SPOLIERS* *SPOLIERS* *SPOLIERS*
Really a wonderful look into linguistics and how our native language affects and (as the film argues) limits our worldview. Also conceptually reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. Beautifully shot, and an example of the fact that aliens probably wouldn't all land in NYC or LA or Paris or Giza. The Montana location is truly stunning. The acting is great, and the story moves along quite well for an alien sci-fi film with minimal action. The thoughtfulness that went into the design of the aliens and their society is refreshing (especially as compared to the highly sexualized anthropomorphised aliens in too much fictional media). But it is really the conceptual complexity that left a mark on me. Films that provoke such deep critical thinking are rare, and this stands out. It's also lovely to find one that has big-budget VFX and production value.