When we talk about Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi filmography, Dune movies and Blade Runner 2049 are what come to our mind. However, his 2016 sci-fi project, Arrival is a hidden gem, further cemented his name in the sci-fi genre, showcasing his impeccable skills to explore complex ideas and deliver a compelling and emotional narrative.
However, many sci-fi fans would find it an intriguing project as it features a hidden detail due to the filmmaker’s different approach.
Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival Follows Palindrome Concept!
The 2016 sci-fi project, Arrival follows Amy Adams’ Louise Banks who is enlisted in the US Army to decipher how to communicate with extraterrestrials who have arrived on Earth in mysterious spacecraft. As she begins to explore the aliens’ communication methods, she experiences visions of her own life, particularly, flashbacks that were actually flashforwards.
While deciphering the time and flashforwards were central subplots of the story, the whole preposition of Arrival is actually based on the Palindrome concept. A palindrome is a word, a verse, a sentence, or a number that reads the same backward or forward.
In the second half of the movie, Louise’s daughter, Hannah gets curious about why she’s named Hannah. To which her mother replies that it’s quite special as it is a palindrome.
Another interesting parameter is the movie’s timeline which does not follow any linear structure. What seems to be the film’s ending would perfectly be its beginning. Initially, scenes feature Louise welcoming a daughter, who dies of cancer.
While audiences get to witness what initially thought was a flashback, as the movie proceeds forward, it is revealed that those flashbacks were all flashforwards. Since the movie has no beginning or ending, it would perfectly make sense if the scenes’ order were to be reversed.
However, that’s not the only thing in the movie that follows a palindrome trajectory, even its soundtrack has accentuated its overall appeal.
Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival Soundtrack Creates a Palindrome Effect
In the context of the movie which explores complex themes of time, communication, and emotional depth, the filmmaker decided to incorporate the palindrome element even in its soundtrack.
The movie’s soundtrack, On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter, is a perfect cherry on top of Denis Villeneuve‘s complex direction as the composer worked with harmonic progression (a single series of chords ) which remains consistent and unaltered throughout the composition.
Since there is no alteration in its rhythm with the progression remaining consistent, it creates a palindrome effect, which is strikingly similar to the movie. The track first appeared in his album, The Blue Notebooks before making its way to the big screen.
Talking about how he felt about having his work featured in Arrival, he explained via PopMatters,
“When I got the call about Arrival I was doubtful because the piece had had a life on cinema already and we were getting to the point where the original context was sort of lost, and I didn’t want that to happen. On the other hand Arrival itself is a political film because it’s about unification and getting beyond boundaries.”
He added,
“It also fuses the political with the personal, so I wasn’t into the idea but the film seemed really good…Also this idea of the palindromic and time structures are actually in ‘On the Nature of Daylight’ already, so it was a great match.”
From Louise’s visions to the film’s soundtrack, it was all hinting at the palindromic context that Villeneuve smartly used in his project’s favor. It was a sure success as the movie received widespread acclaim for its compelling narrative and intelligent themes among others.
Arrival is streaming on Paramount+.
