20 Things You Didn't Know About Arrival
3. The Emotional Use Of On The Nature Of Daylight
Max Richter’s The Blue Notebook is one of the most prolific classical music albums of the 21st century, and with good reason. Its melancholic composition served as an understated yet powerful critique of the 2003 invasion of Iraq has made it one of the weightier modern pieces of music. On the Nature of Daylight in particular is renowned for perfectly encapsulating the album’s themes.
It is used in Arrival’s opening and ending scenes, where it is revealed that Louise’s memories of her late daughter Hannah are actually flash-forwards to a time after the events of the film. The imagery at the beginning is affecting enough, but takes on a new level of emotional weight once it is used to bookend the picture. Richter’s composition underscores these cyclical scenes and beautifully complements their poignancy.
In addition to emotional relevance, the musical piece’s anti-war sentiments somewhat reflect the film’s insistence on cooperation rather than conflict. Its use in Arrival may have disqualified it from being nominated at the 2017 Oscars, but its pathos within the film’s context cannot be denied.