The Power of Art
FILM REVIEW ESSAY (“Arrival”) — “I used to wonder why we can’t remember the future. But when you’re old enough, it’s easy — the future is laid right at your feet.” Kurt Vonnegut paraphrase, from the short story, “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang (on which this film is based).
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There are certain disciplines of study in the humanities (philosophy and religion/theology) that help us understand truth, facts and knowledge about belief and world view. But it is the power of the arts in humanities (music, literature, visual art) that helps us understand the meaning of life in an experiential way. For those in the arts who reject religion, the artist, musician or author is a priest to help humanity make sense of their place in the world. And when the power of story and character in film and literature is driven not by wanting to force a world view on the viewer/reader experiencing the art, that piece of art does evoke a transcendent experience.
The great tragedy of the humanities is that true Christian intellectuals do not create art. There are a few working now like Mako Fujimura, but very few. Instead Christians settle for the thin veneer of propaganda like films (think Fireproof, War Room and the like) which offer up insipid pabulum pandering to the “Evangelical” audience.
The film “Arrival” is a meditation on memory, language, communication and free will. But what makes sense of the film is the short story on which it is based (which I need to track down and read). This probably has more power than the film itself. I never saw Brokeback Mountain but read the short story which had me undone for many days. While not agreeing with its worldview the short story of Brokeback Mountain made you feel the agony of wrestling with same sex attraction and gay identity that just reading the philosophical and sociological debates will never do. This is the power of art.
To talk about the film would be fraught with spoilers so I will only ruminate on its themes briefly. This is not about time travel. This is about seeing time in a different way. God is not part of the“Arrival” universe but it makes me think about my own theological convictions. If you knew what your life held and all its choices would you choose something different? It’s the choices we make good or bad that shape us into who we are. But is it a free choice if you make one that leads to suffering and pain if you knew you could change it? This film posits that it is in fact free will to not alter that choice. But how would we apply this to specific suffering that could prevent greater harm? How for example does this apply to truly grave experiences abuse, rape, murder etc. and how does this thesis about free will answer or not answer the problem of evil? What it does do is it makes us think. I will be thinking about this film for a long time to come. It does diverge from the short story in Hollywood fashion but don’t let those devices (commentary on the military, war etc) prevent you from considering the larger themes.
So far — the best film I’ve seen this year — it will be in my top 10 films of the year. Amy Adams should be nominated for Best Actress for her layered, quiet performance.
