Arrival (2016)
Synopsis
Seemingly adrift following the apparent death of her daughter, linguist and communication expert Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is recruited by Colonel Weber (Forest Whittaker) to join an international team working to decipher messages sent by aliens. Their enormous space craft have landed at 12 destinations around the world and the race is on to see if their intentions are hostile or friendly. Louise forms a bond with them, to the astonishment of her colleague Ian (Jeremy Renner), a bond that could help save the mission.
Review
Amy Adams has been nominated at the Academy Awards (Oscar) five times previously, as either Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress.
In my honest opinion, she should have won for her cold, steely, catalytic performance as evangelist Philip Seymour Hoffman's wife in The Master (2014).
But her turn here as the mousey, emotionally damaged but inquisitive and inwardly strong and assertive linguistics expert, might very well net her the most coveted of arts and entertainment awards.
Its a one woman film and the woman in charge is on pin-point perfect form. She's brought into help the US government decipher messages sent from alien spacecraft that have landed across the world, a race against time as competing world powers want to launch all out war against these literal illegal aliens encroaching menacingly on their territory.
"We need to talk more" Adams states. Given contemporary concerns about migration and controversial comments made during the recent US Presidential election, the film has incredible relevancy.
Watch. Digest. Leave feeling at peace. Repeat if necessary.
For more, read Jason Day's full review: http://bit.ly/ArrivalFilm2016
Cast & credits
Director: Denis Villeneuve. 116 mins. 21 Laps/Film Nation/Lava Bear. (12a)
Producers: Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Karen Lunder, Aaron Ryder.
Writer: Eric Heisserer.
Camera: Bradford Young.
Music: Jóhann Jóhannsson.
Sets: Patrice Vermette.
Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tzi Ma, Mark O'Brien
Pic: Courtesy of Paramount
