20 Things You Didn't Know About Arrival

Arrival is far from your regular bombastic sci-fi actioner. The film is more restrained and not does not feature over-the-top action, and for the most part tries to feel as real as possible. It is true that it plays fast and loose with some linguistic theories, but it generally sticks to some real-world scientific principles.

As a result, Arrival makes note of the works of science legends such as Albert Einstein and Carl Sagan. Towards the film’s end, Ian calls his young daughter Hannah ‘Starstuff’. This is in reference to Sagan’s famous 1980 documentary, Cosmos, where the esteemed astronomer states that “we are made of starstuff”. Einstein’s work is somewhat referenced in the book that inspired the film.

The physicist once said that “the distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” This means time as we categorize it is a human construct, and that reality is not as linear as imagined. This quote’s sentiment rings true in the book and film and can be seen in the Heptapods’ distinct perception of time.