3 ms·
Very glad to see someone also mention Arrival. I would strong suggest reading the Ted Chiang short story on which it is based: Stories of your Life. Spoilers
by tenpies 3y ago
Very glad to see someone also mention Arrival.
I would strong suggest reading the Ted Chiang short story on which it is based: Stories of your Life.
Spoilers ahead:
The movie necessarily makes some changes and adds some action through geopolitics, but at its core it remains the story of a mother that knows that her child will die and her marriage will fall apart; yet she still decides to get married and have a child. It's a story about accepting fate and the ephemerality of life and happiness - and then aliens also happen to be around with a very cool perspective on time to make the whole story work.
- maxerickson 3y agoDoes she decide to do those things? I like the story, but I find it profoundly sad that she has to live through her marriage and birth of her child with the knowing of what is coming.
- lll-o-lll 3y agoIt’s the central theme of the story. Children, marriage, life brings both joy and grief; can you still embrace it, knowing the grief that will come? I can’t find the article, but there was a HN post sometime ago that was a beautifully written memorial to the death of a pet dog. Why do we invest in loving pets that we know we will outlive? Particularly as adults, when we know the end from the beginning. Does the whole become worthless because the end is pain? No! Embrace life - the joy and the grief.
- maxerickson 3y agoYou are replacing the OPs "decide" with "embrace". I tend to not use them interchangeably.