For instance, astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, often shares his frustration or disappointment while watching a sci-fi movie—for instance, a Star Wars—where sound is projected to the audience in spaceship maneuver, usually in battle sequences, when the vacuum of deep space will not produce such an effect.

Multiverses, time travel are fascinating subjects a filmmaker should take the time to discuss with experts and then proceed with creative poetic license to produce. James Cameron is one director I know of who actually reads up or may interview scholars prior to making a futuristic film…yet, proceed to use poetic license in its creation.

The Arrival is a very good movie but I wouldn’t gush over it because had the makers of this film taken the time to do a little reading or communication with an astrophysicist, the eerie facts about time and space, as is known at this time, would’ve made it an even better film. Yet, Arrival is somewhat already a Classic film because of its unique storyline.

Multiverses, discovery of dimensions past the known third dimension in which we exist, should be of great interest and valued as a way to teach and promote astrophysical knowledge to a vast audience who may never take a course or do further reading about science subject after graduation from K-12.

This movie could’ve contrasted the biblical or spiritual belief systems with physics’ mind boggling multiverse, multidimensional studies. Alas, it did not go there. An audience is left viewing the main character’s dealing with a very narrow futuristic dimension in which she has to make a (heartbreaking) familial decision.

Apologies I changed Ian’s name to David for some weird reason in my last post.

The second time through I realize they suggest she does change the outcome of her marriage.

Beginning of movie after we watch montage of her child’s life with no father visible she says something about how she used to think this was the end of your (her daughter’s) story, but now she thinks it’s actually the beginning.

When the visions start happening in the movie after she starts wrapping around the pod language she’s very much along for the ride. Ian is never a visible presence in the visions, he has bailed.

But once she really “gets” the pod language after her solo trip to the space ship she has a vision where she explained to her daughter how her lie of omission caused daddy to leave. She collapses in Ian’s arms and says “I know why my husband left me”.

Now starts the visions where she pieces together she can effect change in the present by using information from a possible future. She puts her life on the line and calls the Chinese general winning him over with his wife’s favourite quote.

Next set of visions Ian is present in nearly everyone of them. He calls his daughter Star Stuff. We hear him asking Louise “do you want to make a baby?”

In present Louise says “if you knew you could change your entire future would you?” to Ian. He talks about communicating his feelings more.

So although it isn’t guaranteed that Louise and Ian stay together, there’s a suggestion that perhaps when in the future they start talking about having a baby instead of remaining silent she says “Yes, but there’s something you need to know …” and instead a future where together they share the joys and heartache of their daughter’s short life occurs. (If you are attuned to the visions there is no need to hammer us with dialogue explaining what we should all be grasping.)

Otherwise the gift of the Pod linguistics is pointless. Perhaps some future things can’t be changed (incurable illness), but those things that human choices can effect by sharing knowledge by communicating through can be altered.

Language the cornerstone of our lives saves the world and a marriage.

Break out more tissue.

Shocked me he’d even do it in the first place. I mean, what was he thinking? Must have been considering bailing on russia from the start? Seems weird to me. But you are right, his movement across the canvass of this movie was incredible.

But I think what upset David is he was never told that their daughter would get sick and die. That Louise knew that information from before they became a couple and didn’t share it is what tore them apart, not the illness per se. It’s one thing to realize you are about to lose a child. But to learn the person you created that child with knew beforehand that this tragedy would occur made it even more unbearable.

Yes she enters in knowing the heartache that will play out, but David is clearly is blindsided.

It’s a wild irony that she saves the world by learning to communicate on a different level than anyone before her, but dooms her marriage by not communicating information that robs her husband of the choice of an informed consent.

It’s never made clear why she doesn’t tell him, only that he bails because he’s that hurt by her actions. She does have a certain amount of pride. She knocks the abilities of another noted linguist early on but never grovelled to be hired. She just made it clear that she knew she was the best scholar for the job. That confidence may be what enables her to navigate the Alien language. But it may also set her up to be a willing martyr, whether or not it was actually necessary.

It may be arrogance that makes her assume the death of her daughter and disintegration of her marriage is something she must accept must play out the way her visions reveal them. As her visions so clearly guide her to how to save the world we assume as an audience she maybe shouldn’t mess with what the future may bring. But perhaps in her crash course in pod-linguistics she missed the bit about just because you can foresee the outcome doesn’t mean you must accept it.

Completely agree with you about Ian’s character being one-dimensional. I forgot his name like 6 or 7 times *during* the movie, and I just tend to refer to him as “what’s his face guy” as he really had no development.

Her husband was right. To choose to deliberately have a child with a fatal illness that will kill them young… maybe it could be justified if she were having the child alone, or if she and Ian were in agreement. But to trick Ian into watching his daughter die just because she wanted it? Remember, she didn’t tell Ian she knew their child would die a long, drawn-out death until after the kid was a few years old, and he left her for it. She knew he would never consent to that if she told him the truth.

I found the character of Louise unlikable from the beginning, and while I tried to drum up some liking for her, the ending killed it all, and then some. Tricking someone into watching their child die slowly and painfully is despicable, and not something that can be forgiven. Louise is an utter monster, and frankly, the villain of the movie. And the villain won.

Yeah, I had to come to that realization as well. It was a fantastic head fake by Eric, that is for sure. Super super clever head fake.

Sorry for being so late. I have a list a mile long of movies to watch and zero free time.

As I understood it Louise is slightly sad before the ‘flashbacks’ but I think it’s more due to the fact that she is alone. There was a conversation about still being alone even when you understand language. She seems to have everything: decent job/job history, nice house, etc. but knowbody to share it with.
During the visits and the start of the flashbacks I got the impression (apon reflection after realising what the flashbacks were) she was nervous rather than sad.
-also sorry if this has already been discussed