Contact - The hidden meaning of Ellie's Journey to Vega

An analysis of Ellie's journey to Vega told symbolically through visual design. Extracted from a full lecture: • Designing for Entertai...

[@ericgeorge451]

This is one of the most thoughtful and insightful reviews on deeper film meanings I think I've ever seen. In keeping with the rebirth symbolism, I would offer the following possibilities. 1) The transport pod symbolizes more of a womb, rather than a gas chamber. 2) The chair may not be an electric chair but rather a means for Ellie to assume a modified fetal position while in the capsule. This would mimic the position of a baby of in a womb prior to its own birth. 3) The wires plugged into Ellie represent an umbilical cord to sustain her, rather than a means to kill her. 4) The periodic updates given by the mission control staff as to the status of the machine (10%, 20%, 30%, etc.) mirror the increasing dilation of women in labor (1 cm dilated, 2cm dilated, 3cm dilated, etc.). 5) The wormhole sequence mirrors the new life traveling through a birth canal. 6) The capsule takes on a liquid form to symbolizes the protective amniotic fluid to keep the new life safe. 7) After Ellie’s “birth”, the first person she sees is her father. 8) This rebirth scene is enhanced by considering Ellie's mother died from complications of childbirth when Ellie was born. This backstory enhances Ellie's natural reluctance to be reborn as her initial birth killed her mother, and permanently altered her life. There’s undeniably imagery of execution and rebirth simultaneously occurring within the same frames! The filmmakers did an outstanding of capturing some very compelling storytelling while inserting remarkable symbolism. I look forward to seeing more reviews from this channel. Thank you!

[@wendymclean5490]

I too believe that there is more to analyze here about the rebirth. There's the compass which is a symbol of love in her life, which helps her take the leap from science to having faith in something more; there's going into her eye and therefore into her subconscious, followed by the void where she's in a fetal position. She is being given the gift of knowledge and wisdom and then told to return. All of this also parallels to the Hero's Journey too. Once she's back, there's the obvious question posed to her, something like, "Do you mean we're supposed to take this on on faith?" to which she replies. "yes" and offers that she might have made it all up, but that she can't change her story. She's changed. Anyone else know about the symbolism behind the Vega star.

[@lizbbb7326]

Great comment!!

[@danielcanas1569]

I had a dream that i was a Hooded Jesus Figure in Black in an ocean Waving to who knows to Join. Me Jesus in the water with the Scene were Her father is Walking towards her but she cannot make it out the watery Silhouette.The dream has the Stars and Everything in it.Cool dream but on to the Symbolism of Vega my Feeling is the Fact the A Star is So many light years away then we see it to our reality Here 3D is a Miracle and Science explains it Simple sort of Right i would say the Vega Symbolism is Earth always Changing right before our very eyes seen and Unseen like the Stars we see but they're millions of Light years already.Everything is Everything has been everything will be mysteries of Creation so to speak We are Stars Too Maybe cause The Swastika and all that there is to attach the Symbol too, But off the bat the movie takes you away from any history of that Swastika symbol.its a Alien movie kinda nobody dwell on it.So the Vega Symbolism or Star rather is to me Saying we are always living immortal like millions of Light years till we see a star.Our being is a Locomotive light-year ba da bing ba da boom 🤯💥....every atom in our bodies was once part of a Star.

[@ronsindric4241]

This interpretation is biased, silly and potentially dangerous to the growth of Humanity !

[@willgamez5555]

Clever girl!

[@ericalba5756]

I've been using this film as 'company' whenever I find myself awake in the middle of the night. By now have it memorized. I could watch it silence and know every word they're saying, or I could just have the audio going it on while trying to fall back to sleep and 'see' every scene in my mind's eye.

[@wizardsongs5409]

The whole travel scene is a metaphor for her having to let go of the pain she is feeling from her dad dying. The climax of the scene is her meeting a Vegan basically taking the form of her father. She cries and is able to grieve properly and let go of that pain.

[@Life-Row-Toll]

_Contact_ - one of my favorite films

[@zsuzsannaklein4905]

Mine too.

[@Datalinks_]

Mine too❤

[@dpelpal]

Mine too

[@EthalaRide]

I love how everything is shaking so violently, and it's shaking HER since she's so strapped into this ridged core structure. but then she just sees her compass gently floating, steady, not shaking like everything else around her, this is literally shaking her current beliefs she's harnessed into, and when she unclasps it's hold on her, she can float gently out into center of this shaking pod while she's stable and untouched. And if she hadn't have gotten out that chair would have snapped with her IN IT and crashed her into the ceiling as well.

[@malinko35]

i remember in the movie they mentioned how the plans didn't have a chair, but they added one anyway, because we humans think "well, we need a chair."

[@robmausser]

@@malinko35 hubris

[@jonmcalister1802]

@@malinko35 faith in the alien tech!

[@TheRealMythril]

One of the best written, best constructed films ever made. Carl Sagan was a genius on so many levels. Jodie Foster is one of the best actors in existence. Those points combined with the true artistry in this film makes it by far one of the richest pieces of cinematographic art ever created. (In my simple opinion)

[@Jack-vj6ri]

It's a good movie, but let's be real Hollywood turned an amazing vision into a somewhat disappointing narrative. The design is certainly remarkable though. It's tough to make a good movie after 6 directors and multiple studios get their paws all over every creative decision.

[@GuyI9000]

want to know something mind blowing??????? THe movie ends halfway.... the book has more, just finished reading it..... its mindblowing

[@julsius]

more levels than most realise

[@runegeezy]

Jodi Foster's acting was terrible in this movie. I was 12 years old when this movie came out and just watched it for the first time. I loved the movie. Didn't love her acting.

[@ianrobson9601]

@@runegeezy Yeah , thought the same as well. I could understand and felt her nervous excitement when they first received the signal but 18 months later when she was in front of the selection panel she was still giving exact same performance, all the shaky , nervous mannerisms. I mean come on, the entire world had 18 months to come to terms with it yet she was the only one acting like it had just happened yesterday. Plus the way she was talking to the kids at the end of the film was super cringe.

[@malinko35]

I like how the aliens got humanity to build something that theologists recognize as a biblically accurate angel.

[@chrisfrancis9555]

Wasn't aliens it was a billionaire who was dying that gave her the blueprint to build that thing

[@richtertomatala]

Nah. You're forging it.

[@Itsunclegabby]

:O

[@ninepuchar1]

Dang, you are right. Those spinnning wheel angels

[@jtatsiue]

Yeah, Ezekiel’s wheel!

[@cecilesuperfree1042]

A Masterpiece on many levels.

[@tshidi129]

Ironically, I always saw Ellie as a Christ-like figure, sacrificing herself/her life for humanity. I also think she had more faith than any character we encountered in the story, she just didn't call it that, because of the negative connotation and stigma traditionally attached to faith.

[@kentA205]

I see her more as Saul converting to Paul upon hearing Jesus talk to him but blinded in the process...

[@tshidi129]

@@kentA205 Yes, definitely

[@petehuckleberry5068]

Faith is negative? Bullshit

[@JamesWilliams-ki7im]

I’m ‘Ok to go!” reminds me of Jesus willingly going to the cross.

[@boggysplowdee3131]

Probably one of the best depictions of peaceful alien first contact in films.

[@patricksoler]

These videos are so captivating. Some real insight into film and I can't wait to see more.

[@hazahizabbanzabalawan3815]

Pretty cool breakdown on the movie... As a matter of fact, if I remember correctly the chair was added and wasn't part of the design and talked about in the movie too. That's why she didn't slam into the ceiling but the chair did

[@Nellosphere]

I love when movies have layers to fillet like this Contact has been one of my All Time favorite movies since I was 14 because of the dialogue and subject matter. As the layers are peeled back you realize how deep the production values go. Some of these metaphorical representations may have just been coincidences, some others may have been very intentional.

[@pinkleish1]

Out of all the movies I’ve seen, Contact is up there with maybe two others ! A true masterpiece!

[@kentA205]

What are those other two movies?

[@christianmorales3025]

I’m curious what other 2 movies do you mean

[@jamesK-pf4os]

@@christianmorales3025 Interstellar and Inception

[@PeterGorrill]

Arrival! Another brilliant film imo.

[@Sandra-hc4vo]

wow your videos about movies are amazingly deep. Thanks so much for making these!

[@marioann]

That has been and still is my favourite movie. It’s a shame Carl Sagan wasn’t there to finish it. Spot on analysis of the archetypes and symbols that came to life with Contact’s immaculate industrial design 👌🏻

[@Malzanar2010]

In the book she went with several other scientists and they all had their own separate experiences meeting the aliens, with their own manifestations of the surrounding environment. I preferred that to the movie, gave it a lot more substance I think.

[@doctorcameltoe]

Sandra Bullock did a good job with the same symbolism in the movie Gravity - from a person who had completely lost faith, to someone who was able to find it again.

[@jameshisself9324]

The 'higher power intervened' was a wise crack to indicate that Palmer Joust (a religious man) had gotten him in there. I would have thought the glance from Palmer would have made that obvious.

[@redmed10]

That wouldn't fit in with his other theories.

[@spottery2k]

Wow! He completely missed the McGuffin at 9:04, namely the toy compass that links her to her love interest in the movie, played by Matthew McConaughey. Earlier in the film he gives it to her, but then she gives it back, saying, "It might save your life someday." He later scuttles her plans to be on that machine, because he loves her and doesn't want to lose her. This created a rift between them, but the first attempt would've killed her if she had been on it, because of a terrorist. However, Haddon industries built another one McConaughey couldn't do anything about. So, on the eve of her newfound opportunity he gave her that toy compass, and indeed it saved her life.

[@Shah_creates]

wow. I thought I "got" everything in this favorite film of mine, but this analysis is amazing.

[@mikebasil4832]

Very enlightening. Thank you for this video that we can celebrate Contact’s 25th Anniversary with.

[@edibleapeman2]

I don't remember when I subbed to your channel but I am GODDAMN HAPPY THAT I DID. I've seen Contact so many times, and while I feel that I've picked up on more than a few of the design cues embedded throughout, your ability and knowledge to tease these elements from the screen leaves me feeling simultaneously stunned and illuminated. Thank you.

[@Joshuajacobson95]

does anyone know what that pod's shape is called

[@petehuckleberry5068]

Idiot

[@bonbonpony]

I'm surprised he compared the gimbal rings to Cracken and never thought of the biblical descriptions of "angels", which mention interlocked rotating wheels, just like in this contraption. This is why I'm always dubious about such symbology analyses - because symbols need context. It's not enough to see similarities and random associations. Reminds me of the fictional lecture Prof. Langdon gave in the "Da Vinci Code" movie about the language of symbols.

[@brentlehman2264]

But she's never angry or rigid in the movie. That chair is put in there by mission planners. It isn't in the alien design and she suggests they leave it out. I agree with the rebirth idea, but the transformative experience Ellie undergoes isn't about scientism. I admit I don't know what it is about though.

[@captainjj7184]

8:40 But don't forget before she said "Oh God" she kept repeating a sentence until that sentence became her last, weakest thing she says before being dropped through the tunnel of light: "I'm okay to go..." - dang, goosebumps!

[@WideAwake24]

Actually... The only reason that Science and Spirituality seem to be at odds with each other is because we have been trying to put Science in a box. If we let it out, we will find that Science and Spirituality are very harmonious and explain one another. Some day, our understanding will merge the two together seamlessly.

[@UNSCPILOT]

In a way I kinda agree, only extremists on both ends try to seperate them, you can definitely still have forms of spirituality mixed with science, the methods of science are exacting, but not incompatible with art, personification, the "humanizing" elements that can go with spirituality, a Synthesis of the two would likely result in a far better future. Solarpunk imagery is certainly something that comes to mind, we can have advanced tech and nature rich environments if we want, we just need to fight past the profit-above-all motives of most big modern companies before the only option is the heat-death of our only home

[@jonmcalister1802]

I think of myself as a scientific neo-pagan, There's enough magic in flowers and stars for me.

[@krazyhartin]

Yes. This movie has so many layers. Both in scientific vs beliefs and the character's battle with other characters who are not on same level and opposite to her own.

[@SlinkShady]

For me, Contact is by far the best sci-fi film ever made, and it is no coincidence it was written by one of the most amazing people to have ever lived: Carl Sagan.

[@leannaglance8274]

Oh my god I love this analysis. Ugh. This is one of my favourite movies. Love love love this detailed analysis of everything. Goddamn.

[@123discgolf]

Your very comment here is a microcosm of the movie. You praise God for this analysis and then damn his name. Will you believe and embrace his reality even though there seems to be no proof? or will you deny him and embrace only empirical evidence in the science? Where will your "death journey" take you Leanna Glance?

[@DelightLovesMovies]

Thanks for explaining the symbolic imagery. It makes me love the film even more than I already did.

[@lukasfortinthedogstar]

i've seen this movie billion of time..........;

[@AmadeuShinChan]

Same here😂

[@threearrows2248]

I remember getting to see Contact 3 times in theaters when it came out. Incredible movie, still one of my favorites. The chair wasn't in the design - they added it bc they didn't trust that she would be safe without it. Shows what happens when we don't surrender fully - when we try to use our own wisdom to protect ourselves instead of completely trusting. This whole movie was about finding God. I didn't until 22 years after I saw it, but now it makes sense...

[@michaelmcawesome]

Really good breakdown mate. On an even more esoteric level, at 8:20, she's inside a perfect sphere within a dodecahedron, one of the five Platonic solids that represents the classical element of Spirit. So she's going on a Sprit-ual journey as well as a fun wormhole trip

[@TallBob1962]

Your premise is completely wrong. This story was written by Carl Sagan, the famous scientist and atheist. The movie changes many things from the book that Carl wrote. But even in the movie she denies faith several times - as a child, before her trip and AFTER her trip. When asked point blank if people should believe her story about her trip "on faith" - she does NOT say 'yes'. She says only that she knows she was given something special and she has hope the rest of humanity will see it as well. Then we see Ellie continuing to work on her science.

[@K1lostream]

Well said 👏

[@gevenaowl1574]

this video definitiely takes my understanding of this film as a mere ''sci-fi" to the next level

[@andreasbehringer6967]

Ah, I remember my first joint too.

[@PlatinumState]

I just saw it today for the first time. Beautiful movie, never a dull second

[@REDDAWNproject]

Brilliant analysis of the design of this film!

[@pythonxz]

I sometimes think people read a bit too far into what these scenes mean. Sure it's a leap of faith, but to go to the lengths he does...I don't know.

[@ethannickerson1901]

I get that, but don’t forget the insane amount of work and money required for every scene, set-piece, CGI element… there’s an enormous amount of thought and teams of individuals behind every visual element - injecting meaning into those elements is what gets people to really believe in the project. Most good films contain much more symbolism than we first realize. I agree that Contact is a masterpiece (except for the subpar extras and the cartoonish pastor/villain). I was glad to hear him say he thought so as well.

[@biggstavros5876]

What an amazing crackpot presentation. No mention about it being based on Carl Sagan`s book `Contact`.

[@whatsina1]

Yes that was very odd...as if Sagan had nothing to do with it...

[@johnnythewalrus]

"crackpot"?

[@biggstavros5876]

@@johnnythewalrus foolish, irrational, crazy etc

[@kwikbit]

This is my alltime, most watched film. I watch it every year or so. For a 25 years old film, with special effects of the time, it still delivers. Storyline , actors, (sound effects!) ,etc. All top drawer. I sometimes just play the bit where she hears the signal, and I wonder about what that moment would be like. I guess that's why I like the film so much 🤓 I'd never realised the symbology of this scene before, but you have added to my enjoyment of this film even more. Thx 👍

[@dreamfall77]

Crop circles are geometric shapes and the film explicitly states that mathematics is a universal language.

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

I see No Religious Overtones and/or Leaps of Faith helping this Story. Everything that happens to the Pod, should eventually have an Explanation based on Physics. I found/find any Religious/Spiritual references/parallels to actually be Offensive and Annoying

[@jackcroatan]

fantastic book, fantastic movie, a hint of God hidden in irrational numbers, in the fabric of the universe...Something that could never be done today.

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

I found the Book quite Boring, far too many pages wasted on Religious Nonsense. I really can't understand why people will reject Science, but readily accept a Figment of their Imagination is Real

[@Wolffanghurricane]

@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 People are scared to admit to themselves the universe is an entity that exists separately from them

[@solarkantari5d]

This is one of the best examples of why the internet is a good thing! 🤣 Fantastic Video 🙏

[@robertdurant7934]

Something I’ve noticed in the dialogue of this film that I have yet to see anyone comment on. Every time someone in the film refers to religion or spirituality as a counter for the scientific argument they always do so by using a personal or directed claim of religion; “MY God”, “YOUR God”. Even during the committee questioning Ellie before she is supposed to go on the first machine one committee member makes a claim about the other 95% of the world believing in some kind of God but there never is a consensus by anyone that there is one true God in the film. This presents a problem with those deciding who goes…must you believe that God exists, and if so who decides which God? If Drumlin was a Christian was it fair to the candidate who was a Hindu? Does the Jewish candidate get to go over the person that practices Islam?

[@henrykkaufman1488]

The juxtaposition of Joan D'Arc and Ellie Arroway made me shed a tear.

[@edh6096]

Mike's analysis is spot on...at least to those of us with an ounce of philosophical Big Picture sensitivites.

[@Romanamon]

Great stuff Mike. There's a youtuber called Jonathan Pageau who has been analysing film through the lens of symbology that you might find interesting. His video on Logan is excellent

[@jessicaveylan4265]

You have a link to that?

[@jbr84tx]

This is the first time I've considered that Ellie's 'dad' on Vega was actually an alien. I've always thought it WAS her dad, who survived in some other dimension and told her a little about time, space, space travel, and other civilizations. I still think it was her real dad. Another possibility I considered was that her dad was an alien to begin with.

[@TheSponkomat]

"Leave behind her unhealthy scientific dogma..." Is there a different movie called Contact? Because that's not what happened in the movie I saw.

[@mightytaiger3000]

You did watch a different film then. Even the last 15 minutes of the film reiterate that her stiff materialistic views have changed because of her experience.

[@fredhoupt4078]

excellent analysis. My favorite of all films.

[@EuanWhitehead]

This is great, so insightful.

[@tiaan7032]

best movie i ever watched

[@change9929]

They achieved so much in this movie.

[@jvcyt298]

Sometimes a cigar, is just a cigar.

[@CallumRickard]

"Unhealthy scienctific dogma" 😂 That kinda flies in the face of Sagan, and the character of Ellie Arroway tbh.

[@JesusLopez-xz3qw]

Yes, hated the use of "dogma" associated with science. It's like, in ORDER to be a scientist, the No.1 step is to ditch dogma...

[@jameshisself9324]

The seat. Has anyone ever considered that the seat broke **because** she got out of it? Her body dramatically changes the resonant frequency of any object, especially an open metallic cantilever structure like the seat was. The change in resonance from her getting out of it put it more in sync with the vibes already there which amplified them and led to the failure of the mount.

[@UtterMarcus]

also the seat is the only structure that is not in the original scheme but invented by human, maybe this explain the detach from the main structure

[@jameshisself9324]

@@UtterMarcus Yes of course, if it wasn't there it couldn't detach. I agree with her theory that it should not have been there, and it's presence caused the vibrations. However her getting out of it caused it to fail. But then the aliens just moved it out of the way so no worries.

[@kidvicious2227]

We only get 11 mins? Is there a part 2 of the video?

[@leegill7837]

Came here from ingersoll page. 😁

[@jodyspiegel73]

I remember reading in an article or book that some alien abductions might be one reliving one's actual birth experience; floating one is in the womb; moving though structure = through birth canal; bright light = outside of mother; the book or article gave better and more complete description; please respond if one knows of article or book and if agree, disagree or other comments thanks

[@danielstephens6193]

I love this movie! So underrated

[@growlkitty]

So what exactly is the message that the author wants to convey in all of this?

[@pjimmbojimmbo1990]

This story certainly has its share of Creepy Conmen. The Weasel with the Moustache, who pushes Ellie under the Bus(I was overjoyed when he Perished with the First Machine), and the Snake Oil Bible Thumper, played by Matthew McConaughey

[@beedettfree]

Reminds me of walking to the dentist's chair for a root canal....I had that same facial expression!!

[@STONECOLDET944]

The machine is one big relativistic hydrodynamic continuum pump, lots of complex engineering, but still basically just a big pump

[@Manny91352]

This would make an awsome universal studios ride

[@fearfactorymark]

This is the best sci fi film Ever

[@michaelvincent8208]

Sadden by how few have reaction watched this impressive film. Soundtrack now difficult to find and is not cheap. I actually found the patch from the film, and is on a white cap now.

[@lenircotia]

Well who is that guy talking in the video?! Whoever ujploaded this video why hasn't he/she included the name of him in the title or in the description box?!

[@lickit-gr4dc]

Awesome. I just had my first mushroom experience and i couldn't help thinking about this and "arrival" movies when it ended. I feel a little bit like this film is a bit about that as well.

[@danrode104]

Doesn't a fireman or policeman do the same exact thing each day??

[@sakurapink5628]

I don't know this movie, but now it's my second scene that I see today. When her back is plug to the chair it was really credible like in real life!

[@jkm9332]

Just meaning, not "hidden" meaning, just meaning.

[@FlySmooth]

I think it’s important to acknowledge the fact that the chair wasn’t in the original schematics for the machine, humans added it in because we thought it was safe and then in that scene the chair smacks to the roof of the pod in which could have killed her if she didn’t let go

[@mikehilldesignstudio]

Good point; the full lecture includes this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKCYZIOKeNt7lbs&lc=Ugwn5lo-RZu9xEt1XPB4AaABAg

[@naikhanomtom7552]

Anyone else sent here by Ingersoll Lockwood?

[@nickstones]

Excellent work. Thank you very much.

[@thENDweDIE]

Now, amongst all these different levels of impressive production... ...how much can attributed to our author, Carl Sagan...and how much to those involved in the adaptation..??

[@angelinemccurdy6740]

Today was the first time I seen this movie.

[@gamezswinger]

"A higher power intervened"-in this case, S.R. Hadden, the billionaire. Don't be misled by false interpretations. The aliens, understanding Ellie's potential fear, appeared to her as her father to make the encounter less intimidating. When film reviewers or critics see things in a movie that were never intended by the filmmaker, it's often referred to as overinterpretation or reading too much into it. This can also be described as projection, where the reviewer projects their own ideas, biases, or interpretations onto the film. Another term is apophenia, which is the tendency to perceive patterns or meanings in random or unrelated data, though this term is more general and not specific to film criticism.

[@mikehilldesignstudio]

Production supervisors have confirmed the theories are correct. Even going so far as to point out the machine is an Ophanim from the Bible

[@gamezswinger]

@@mikehilldesignstudio There are key symbolic themes in Contact, chief among them, science versus faith (the tension between objective truth and fantasy). It's funny how many people ignore the twist that comes when it’s revealed that Ellie's recording device, which was with her during the journey, recorded 18 hours of static-despite the fact that only a few seconds had passed on Earth. This discrepancy suggests that Ellie did, in fact, experience something that took place over an extended period, even though it was not perceived by anyone else. Many people often prefer to see fantasy over reality for a variety of psychological, emotional, and cultural reasons. The film does not blur the line between what is real and what is imagined. The Carl Sagan story is clear to those who value the truth.

[@elebeu]

I can't think of any actress that could have done a better job than Jodie Foster.

[@davidabulafia7145]

In the book the device is for 5 people

[@jimrose71]

EXCELLENT PERSPECTIVE

[@donkloos9078]

Good movie. I rewatch it sometimes. Same class as The Arrival. It would have been fun to have this review continue on to the alien meeting.

[@Hidegety1]

The drop - lighting and scenery looks like if she was falling into hell. Also - when she faces the shaking chair -> the shoulder supports look like horns. Angry, threatening, evil demon.

[@Vector_Ze]

Well, at least I agree that it's a masterpiece.

[@user-qf6si9vz7p]

Люди перепугались там, потому что какой-то яркая вспышка, как-то все ру стёкла то, что там что-то происходит взрывы, какие-то она где-то теряется связь плохо лов, не слышит никто её, только все пуг, что-то происходит вспышки. Яркого света и всё такое ощущение что сейчас раз и всё об этом

[@keepcalmandenjoythedecline]

This is like a guy putting a bunch of rotten pumpkins next to a vineyard and a few years later another guy says that some wine from those vines has 'autumn notes'. 🙄

[@mikehilldesignstudio]

You put a lot of work into this and it shows

[@mariobeltran5816]

just read the book people. it is obvious this guy didn't.

[@OOTD_]

She didn't believe in God but called God in that moment.

[@MartianLivesMatter]

I commented awhile back on this video and see it's disappeared. Well I can't find it anyway. This scene is pretty much a cinematic representation of the Baptism experience. Its also described quite well in the Bardo thodol especially the english interpretation, "The Psychedelic Experience ~ A manual based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead". It was pretty wild my Baptism, not so much because what I experienced which was crazy but because I had no idea what i had experienced. It was like being slap without seeing the hand. The following day I watched this movie and seen how much it paralleled what I experienced. There's so much in this experience that is explained through the Gospel of Thomas. For instance the part where she unstraps from the chair, "Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are Your disciples like?" He said, "They are like children who have settled in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Let us have back our field.' They (will) undress in their presence in order to let them have back their field and give it back to them. Therefore I say to you, if the owner of a house knows that the thief is coming, he will begin his vigil before he comes and will not let him into his house of his domain to carry away his goods. You, then, be on your guard against the world. Arm yourselves with great strength lest the robbers find a way to come to you, for the difficulty which you expect will (surely) materialize. Let there be among you a man of understanding. When the grain ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand and reaped it. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear." This is talking about ego and how in that moment when you face your maker you must give back what is his. Just let go and everything will be ok. Don't fear the death because all is one.

[@user-qf6si9vz7p]

Это увидит такую красоту вокруг себя. Такое красивое небо не описать словами, как это всё красиво, когда об этом говорит, как красиво. Как всё красиво была бы я там, я бы осталась навсегда, всегда она потом на всё это время говорила, если бы можно было, я бы осталась здесь навсегда, как же тут красиво, как красиво произносила эти слова.

[@swish007]

her "trip" in the device struck me a bit as being analogous to the idea of having a mystical esoteric experience. it's interesting because a skilled practitioner of the esoteric arts can have experiences that seem just as real as what ellie experienced.. and even have evidence that there was something real about their experiences (similar to having 15 hours of recorded static but of a different nature; never 100% proof but certainly compelling evidence). but at the end of the day it's just her word against the naysayers and even though her experience was "true" there are more questions than answers in the end. it's like a carrot always out of reach. it's a beautiful movie but it always bummed me out that nothing felt really solved at the end. there was no great revelation about the meaning of the universe. even the aliens (supposedly ascended enlightened beings) had nothing much to offer. "all we have is each other.." really? that's it? "yeah and you're going to die and become worm food so you won't get to see or know how the human race fares in the future, sorry." I haven't read the book but I've heard at the end it talks about people finding a code imbedded in the number pi. a message implying "the universe was made on purpose." that's fun but again, more questions.. why was it made? why something and not nothing? why do we even care? even Sagan couldn't leave out the hint that it was "God all along" because even he knew all to well that the alternative drawn out to it's logical conclusion is ultimately hopelessness and meaninglessness. and we can take all the trips to vega through wormholes we want but it won't give us the answers to the deepest questions of meaning and life that really matter.

[@drluciferphantom666]

There is a hint to astral projection if you can get into that.. Or if you are taking psychedelics

[@johnmorgan4405]

In the scene where Ellie floats down to the beach to me always looked like a fetus or a baby in the womb being born.

[@os2171]

Agree, masterpiece. My favorite sci-fi even above matrix.

[@user-qf6si9vz7p]

И вот пошло в этот момент капсула падает, она видит какие-то тоннели есть как будто что-то затягивает куда-то и всё, и начинается этот момент, как страшно её, тоннель тянет её, туда, внутрь, какие-то дыры, какие-то чёрные дыры, какие-то чёрные дыры её. Потом тишина, потом опять какие-то тоннели, опять начинается всё заново, как ей тяжело, как тяжело это всё воспроизвести, что она пытается это камеры, всё и ничего не происходит, это вообще очень, очень страшно ей самой было, вот она пыталась писать. Всю, всю суть этого всего, вот и она в тоннеле попадала, то 1 тоннель, то другая тоннель, ну и очень страшно ей было.

[@aragon31]

Brilliant movie.. but despite the personal break down of this film from an individual viewpoint science can explain most of what's happening here.. The narrative states Jodie Foster can't use science to explain the translucent floor and the worm holes represent an end of life experience however these specific scenes are recreating what Astrophysicists theorize an interstellar traveller would actually experience passing through a wormhole.. This entire film can be broken down in a specific manner using scientific literature that religion could never replace..

[@TheGreatKrystoff]

An excellent reading of the imagery, but I've never heard anybody miss the entire theme of a movie stronger than you saying "She needs to leave behind her unhealthy scientific dogma" This might be a surprise to you, but the religious fanatics in this movie are not in fact the heroes.

[@roysabo5319]

The two technicians are also dressed in black like pallbearers.

[@user-qf6si9vz7p]

Я готова всё хорошо, я готова, я готова ко всему, вот-вот так происходит, вот это всё.