Imagine if you could speak the language of time and know the course of your life before it even happened. Denis Villeneuve tackles this alien concept in his latest blockbuster hit “Arrival.” The movie itself is not centered around light speed or otherworldly warfare, but rather the importance of communication and how it’s rendering can lead to definitive consequences.

The protagonist of the film Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) holds herself in the purport of a calm and introspective individual unreliant on others but deeply haunted by some unexplained loss. The film begins its exposition centered on the birth, brief life and death of a child whom the audience can only assume to be Dr. Banks’ daughter. After this establishing scene the film begins its journey into the existence of the middle-aged linguist and college professor and to uncovering the weight behind her troubles.

It was just a normal day when they arrived. Twelve of their ships landed at every corner of the globe. It was on this day that Dr. Banks was summoned by the United States Military to visit one of the landing sites in Montana accompanied by a physicist named Ian (Jeremy Renner) in order to figure out the aliens’ purpose for visiting earth. These foreign neighbors of the universe were later identified as “Heptapods” because of their seven legs and “pod-like,” massive upper bodies. Through several personal sessions with these aliens in their ship, Dr. Banks determined that it would be better to communicate with them through words rather than actions. She quickly realized that the Heptapods were not there to cause harm but rather to present a gift to all of humanity.

Although “Arrival” may not have the action of other sci-fi hits such as “Interstellar” or the humor of the “Martian,” it is a profound feature of what it means to question the unique existence within the timeline of life. It grapples with global issues such as using diplomatic relations or warfare to solve inconsistencies and how to let determination override panic. “Arrival” capitalizes on the vast applications of communicative methods, such as written characters and spoken dialogue, in order to bridge the gap between the foreign and the familiar. With just the right amount of suspense and a wealth of psychological teasers, Villeneuve’s latest flick is sure to intrigue the intellect in a puzzling way to encourage audiences to see the film not once, but maybe two or three times before feeling satisfied.