As a sneak peek for this week’s blog post, today I will be reviewing one of my favorite STEM-related movies!
Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Dune Part One and Two), follows a linguist working for the U.S army to uncover the secrets of a recently discovered alien species. Amy Adams creates a phenomenal performance as the protagonist who grapples harrowing decisions regarding humanity's future. She stars alongside Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg respectively. The film falls under the science fiction umbrella, pairing real life careers and sciences with the backdrop of extraterrestrial life. Throughout the film, Amy Adam's character Louise Banks harnesses and comprehends the power of language and learns how it affects the aliens' perception of the world around them.
This fantastic, introspective film is a great watch--but how accurate is it to the STEM world we know? According to most STEM workers who've seen the film, it has many elements based in reality! For example, the film explores the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, a real-life hypothesis that suggests language structure can change one's perception. While this hypothesis is highly debated, many linguists support it.
There are more examples of scientific concepts explored in the film. If you're looking for said examples and a more in-depth analysis, this excellent video by Science vs. Cinema is a perfect watch! Just beware spoilers lie ahead!
This week, I will be exploring six STEM films and analyzing their real-world accuracy in an upcoming blog post! Subscribe to our newsletter for more articles and thank you for reading!
Comments