Must see, and must think

Rating: 9/10 (5 May 1999)

Contact, for me, was simply a perfect statement of the need for appreciating that reality is most probably beyond the reach of one discipline by itself.
The science/religion dichotomy should be accepted as, well, not good enough. Ellie, representing the scientist, is faced with experience that lies beyond her scientific explanation, yet she cannot let go of its reality to her.
Palmer Joss is excellent, not as the representative of the religious, but as representative of the position we might do well to take - the line between the two extremes, the balance-seeker who can communicate beyond his own language (not one Bible text quoted, yet a decent defence of the room for "God").
The bigger antennae is not a matter of technology, but, as we see in the last scene, of tuning in, making "contact" not with what's "out there," but with what's inside of us - is it not more than just atomic activity?
Meaning - a key theme, is shown to be lacking in the outlook on life these days, lacking in the continual pursuit of technological advance. Science alone is insufficient to give meaning that we are able to conceive and contemplate.
This is a relevant thinking movie, for those who've thought that science and religion must antagonize. Too bad the limit is 1000 words, I could go on and on...
See Contact, and make contact!