Best part is... it makes you want to read the book

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2017)

Every field of study needs its limelight in Hollywood, and this time it's linguistics. This film, directed by a French-Canadian, composed by an Icelander, and based on a Hugo award winning novella by Ted Chiang (a Chinese-American) depicts the complicated and geopolitically unstable circumstances that would arise if extra-terrestrial lifeforms suddenly appeared on our planet. At least, that's what it seems like on the surface. Underneath the typical Hollywood plot is a story with gripping philosophical and linguistic inquiries into the nature of reality. We find ourselves fascinated with each new discovery uncovered by the protagonist, an inquisitive linguist played by Amy Adams, as she begins to grasp the new Alien language. Included in her realizations are an unearthly way of perceiving time and a paradoxical new perspective on the issue of determinism vs. free will.
Amazingly, the film never goes into annoying explication, despite the highly technical nature of the setting and the complexity of the plot line. The film always gives a strong taste without revealing too much. To some this might be annoying and confusing, to others (like myself) it might spur a relentless curiosity. After the film had ended I found an online copy of the book from which it's based. I would highly recommend others do the same. Though the visuals, effects, and cinematography of the film are enchanting, and overall it is masterfully made, the philosophical themes are far more engrossing in the novella. Ted Chiang has an incredible aptitude for conveying mind- blowing scientific, linguistic, and philosophical wonders in a few short sentences. Not to mention, the story of Louise's relation to her daughter is far more personalized as we get to see things from her mind's eye.
The difference between the book and the film is seen most clearly in the titles. In "The Story of your Life," the alien encounter is only a back drop to the story of Louise's daughter. Whereas, in "Arrival," global turmoil and creepy alien encounters play front-and-center.