Living with Time: Spirituality and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival

Mathilde van Dijk*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

At first sight, Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 Arrival seems to provide a fairly standard science fiction narrative about the landing of aliens on earth and the panic that ensues, featuring aggressive soldiers, a suspicious CIA man, brilliant scientists and rioting populaces. The film could be read as propaganda for the humanities as it is a linguist rather than a natural scientist who saves the world. The second narrative is more important, as acknowledged by the director: the main character Dr. Louise Banks’s mourning for her deceased daughter, Hannah. In contact with the aliens, she learns how to cope with this disastrous event, by acquiring a different perspective on how life proceeds and how time works. This is also where the film, subtly, tells a deeply spiritual narrative, in which Louise acquires tender competence to deal with what life brings, including Hannah’s death.
Original languageEnglish
Article number17
JournalReligions
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Keywords

  • science fiction; spirituality; death; film

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