What small child does not want to talk to aliens? Or at least a friend that they developed their own language that only they can understand. The truth is that language can be a breakthrough or a barrier depending on the level of persistence and patience. In the arrival movie explained that is never more prevalent.
The movie starts with the arrival of 12 spaceships that hover over several prominent nations in nondescript spots. Several teams are assembled across the world to make contact and examine everything they can to learn why they are here. The United States sends a physicist and lingual expert to the ship over Montana and what they discover is an ominous couple words in the bit of language they encode. The phrase they worked out roughly translated to “offer weapon.” Which in turn, when shared with the other nations of the world, caused China to react as if it’s a threat and cut communications.
Meanwhile, some AWOL soldiers planted a bomb onboard the Montana ship unbeknownst to the rest of the exploration team. The two protagonists reenter the ship and are saved by the two aliens they first encountered. After the explosion, America is preparing an evacuation and the team has found a working idea on the code. The lingual expert has determined that it is only one twelfth of the whole idea, and for the world to understand it wholly we must share. That is the weapon that they offered in the beginning. The ability to decode their language provides the ability to see into the future.
Armed with this knowledge of future events the lingual expert has what she needs. She takes a CIA agent’s phone and sends a message to the prime minister of China and recites his wife’s last words. “War doesn’t make winners; only widows.” When he hears this it causes him to reestablish communication and share what they have with the rest of the world. Which, of course, relieves all tensions and the extraterrestrial visitors peacefully leave with their message delivered.
The importance of understanding language and being patient enough to not jump to conclusions is the underlying value in this movie. There is an element of love and critical decisions made in knowing the future as well. The arrival movie explained in a few words is that language can be a killer or a savior it all depends on your patience and ability to decipher.
