Arrival and Fear of Existence | Cinema of Meaning #68

[@originaozz]

I remembered feeling a mix of anger and attacked by the ending on my first watch. Feeling how her decision is so selfish, just like Ian. It goes against my avoidant nature that way, accepting the hurt despite its beauty. Yet it was the film that stuck with me the most that year. Realizing why it made me feel that way just made love it so much now. I just admired how she can accept the pain that comes with loving, something I still have to work towards.

[@els1f]

I felt the same way! I watched it, had the same reaction you stated, then wanted to watch it again immediately😋

[@dsophie]

I love your discussion about this movie. Something else I would point out too is that before meeting the aliens, language was for Louise something intellectual, she studied it, but as she said, you can “know” communication and still end up single. Then her experience of language when meeting the aliens, and I suppose also when she became a parent, became more visceral, and in the metaphor of the logogram, more “whole”. It became emotional as well. I think you hit it on the head when you said the concept of time in the movie is more about her subjective experience of it. To me the story feels like an experience of the transpersonal, or archetypal psyche… how emotional it is and incomprehensible to our limited consciousness. My chest got all tight when you mentioned Polytechnique at the end.. I was a student there when it happened. Even today, I don’t think I could bear to see a fictionalized version of what happened. Strange thing is that almost like Louise I had a premonitory dream 3 days before and went home right before everything went down.

[@applesewer2684]

Great analysis. They should include this on the DVD extras.

[@byronwilliams7977]

Two of my favorite video essayists! I've subscribed to both your channels. Keep up the excellent work.

[@SeldonnHari]

Knowing what you're going to do is the same as doing it. When it comes to the discussion of free will, you wouldn't look at the actions in your past and say you had choice when you made them. And similarly, if you know your future, the decisions you will make, you have made, and you made them. This is my non-sensical philosophical dribble of the day

[@siddharthshrivastava4389]

Hey Tom that is still my favorite video of yours.

[@UniqueSnoop]

Great podcast, keep it up 👍

[@precioustraveler]

Leaving this here for @ThomasFlight. Please do an essay on The Bear season 2. I discovered the series after watching your video essay on the first season, so I am on hour debt.

[@shavedraven]

Excellent conversation

[@JaziB]

Surprised you didn't mention Annihilation as a recommendation. Though Stalker is close enough as it was one of the movie's main influences.

[@aziragoramo]

Ted Chiang is so amazing. Id love to hear what you guys think about his work esp "the truth of fact the truth of feeling"

[@thomasjoyce7910]

From so much of the imagery and, indeed, the films title, it's clear that the film is about a problem-pregnancy and is firmly on the pro-life side. So many of the themes you discussed in the video emanate from that. I was hoping one of you had figured it out.

[@rozaliacucuiet3726]

I think you are projecting and there are bigger questions the film is proposing, but that is the beauty of art, anyone can draw their own conclusions.

[@gabunafeesa9553]

that is definitely projection.

[@drendelous]

As much as I adore Arrival I detest Dune, its shallow cast, lazy narrative, poor cgi.. Arrival is where I like to come back from time to time. Thank you for the talk, you both rock beautifully