Plot Summary

Arrival begins when mysterious extraterrestrial spacecraft land at multiple locations across the globe, triggering worldwide uncertainty and fear. As governments struggle to understand the aliens’ intentions, the urgency to establish communication becomes paramount, with humanity standing at the edge of either unprecedented contact or catastrophic conflict.

Renowned linguist Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is recruited by the military to decipher the aliens’ complex and non-linear language. Working alongside physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), Louise attempts to bridge the gap between human cognition and an entirely alien mode of communication, where meaning, time, and perception do not follow familiar rules.

As international tensions rise and global powers edge closer to military action, Louise’s work takes on profound philosophical and emotional dimensions. The process of understanding the alien language begins to alter her perception of time itself, forcing her to confront deeply personal memories and difficult choices that challenge conventional notions of fate and free will.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Arrival is a cerebral and emotionally resonant science fiction film that explores communication, loss, and the limits of human understanding. Rather than focusing on spectacle, the film delivers a thoughtful meditation on how language shapes reality—and how knowledge can fundamentally transform the way we experience life.