Arrival, 2016

Arrival has the distinct honor of being the only sci-fi flick that makes me weep uncontrollably. Starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, this saccharine drama focuses on the efforts of a translator charged with interpreting the language of an alien species that has arrived under mysterious, but seemingly peaceful, circumstances. There is no invasion, even if some of the larger forces in Arrival’s world would like to think of the situation in that way. Instead, Adams’ character, a linguist, does something much more difficult: She tries to understand the aliens and their utterly baffling language.

I love a good alien action movie, but I also really love a story willing to do a bit more work interrogating the nature of extraterrestrials, and by extension, ourselves. Humans are an incredibly divisive species, which might be why our first instinct is to meet something unfamiliar with cruel, blunt force. Arrival speaks to a more sensible side of our existence, one that is capable of more than violence, one that can offer curiosity and unifying love, and one that has the capacity to act on these notions in pursuit of something greater than ourselves. I don’t know, man, I just really love Arrival even if I find it hard to ever go back to. But I guess that’s great sci-fi, y’know? It haunts you, and Arrival definitely haunts me. — Moises Taveras