Arrival

French Canadian director Denis Villenueve turns Eric Heisserer's screenplay of Ted Chiang's cyclical sci-fi "Story of Your Life" into a deep mediation on communication and choices with "Arrival."

The earth is encircled by silent, floating giant watermelon seed spacecrafts. Americans dispatch linguist Louise Banks (delicate Amy Adams), along with Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) and Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker), to investigate, communicate and initiate contact with the enclosed visitors to ascertain whether they are friends or foes, scientists or tourists.

The several Blu-ray extras are as intellectual and thoughtful as the feature they support, including "Acoustic Signatures: The Sound Design," "Eternal Recurrence: The Score," "Non-Linear Thinking: The Editing Process," and "Principles of Time, Memory and Language."

"Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'" posits that science fiction is about using speculative scenarios as lenses to examine the human condition, using both brain and heart to think and feel. The looming question in the feature and featurette are "do you choose love even though you know it will end in your heartbreak? Is it worth it?"

Villeneuve said the challenge was to adapt an intellectual, interior story into a sci-fi movie. He hadn't worked in the genre before, and needed to keep pace and tension while exploring language in a poetic way.

He didn't want to dumb down the process of learning an alien language, or the massive existential crisis of being afraid of things out of your consciousness, all while being a snapshot of human behavior, which includes paranoia, fear of others, as well as the inherent narcissism of people and arrogance of science.

Villenueve only had Adams in mind for Louise, and the actress enjoyed the challenge of a story where time is circular, in opposition to the linear way she usually works, as well as learn about anthropological linguistics. Renner was pleased to take a supporting role to a female lead, and Whitaker brought a gravitas to the team.

The linguistic consultant Jessica Coon explained how, to understand others, researchers must start simply, then work towards phrases, then questions. Louise's establishment of a relationship and rapport with the aliens was a "good field worker moment." Graphic designers joined Coon to create a dictionary, and another way of thinking and writing, like a squid or skunk, creating glyphs like coffee cup stains.

The producers and designers discussed the creation of heretofore unknown ships -- the "strange egg/stone" totally different than "2001," "Star Wars," or "Independence Day" -- their different relationship with gravity, and the seven-legged heptapods, named Abbott and Costello, "looking like nothing else in 100 years of cinematic history."

Among the newness of the alien ethos, the earthly tools remained real, using actual technology like awkward hazmat suits, and the director eschewed green screens. The dark tunnel set was entirely "real" to create the "dirty sci-fi" feel where the darkness is unknown but not frightening.

Villenueve feels we are dangerously disconnected from nature, but sci-fi, although difficult, can help humans find the mystery of life, and, to keep him the nice guy that his collaborators call him, can exorcize his demons.

"Arrival"
Blu-ray
$19.99
http://www.arrivalmovie.com