{5\/5} “Like their ship or their bodies, their written language has no forward or backward direction. Linguists call this non-linear orthography. Which raises the question: Is this how they think?”<\/p>\n
Arrival<\/strong>, released in 2016<\/p>\n Twelve alien ships come to Earth and park themselves in seemingly random places. Louise, a linguist, is summoned by the army — with which she worked before on translations — to the one in Montana. There she meets Ian, a physicist. They go into the ship to speak to the aliens. The army has questions they want answered, but the aliens are interested in giving something more personal.<\/p>\n I love the shape of the alien ships, and the alien nature of the aliens — their look, their sounds, their form of writing. We feel what Louise feels throughout her journey.<\/p>\n Quick, name another movie where a linguist is the hero. This is one to watch and savour.<\/p>\n Watching it for the 2nd time is a different experience. The first time there’s one aspect that you don’t realize until the end, and the 2nd time you have that knowledge all the way through.*<\/p>\n It’s about the joy and difficulties of communication, working together, and love.<\/p>\n It’s based on a story by Ted Chiang (Exhalation<\/strong><\/a>).<\/p>\n Stars Amy Adams. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049<\/strong><\/a>). The mysterious music is by J\u00f3hann J\u00f3hannsson.<\/p>\n