10 Sci-Fi Movies That Forced You To Answer Impossible Questions

6. Would You Have A Child Knowing They Will Die Young? - Arrival

The tricky final twist in Denis Villeneuve's instant sci-fi classic reveals that linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) has, through her attempts to learn the language of the alien heptapods, re-wired her brain and, consequently, how she perceives time.

This not only allows Louise to prevent the Chinese starting an all-out war with the aliens, but provides her with a glimpse into the future, where she starts a relationship with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), and the two eventually have a child.

But as was revealed at the start of the movie - albeit initially assumed to be a flashback - their daughter dies from an incurable illness as a teenager, and when Louise informs Ian that she knew it would happen and got pregnant anyway, Ian leaves her.

In the final moments of the film, Louise knows that she will have a daughter, that daughter will die and Ian will leave her, and willingly lives out the scenario regardless - the joy of having a child implied to be worth the suffering she will go through.

And while Arrival raises some tricky questions about free will and determinism - it's never made entirely clear if Louise actually can avert her fate - it is a major provocation for the audience.

If the greatest joys and tragedies in your life were laid out before you, how would you react? Could you deal with knowing in advance that your child would only get 15 years on this planet? Would those years be worth the anguish of burying them and living the rest of your life without them?