9 Movies That Get Better The Deeper You Go

A movie that explores the nitty gritty of both time and communication, Arrival is always going to lend itself to more than one watch - with Louise's story moving through our linear notions of existence and pulling everything we thought we understood into question by the end of the movie. Where past, present, and future intersect, Louise is left stranded, having already lived the life she knows is left in front of her.

It all sounds very complicated, but makes perfect sense when played out on screen. Looking further into the movie only manages to reveal more nuance to every event, carefully slotted in between Louise developing an alien language to talk to ships that have landed on earth, and her understanding of their communication which allows her to transcend time itself.

The film revels in its departure from linearity. Symbols of circles, ouroboros (the snake eating its tail), and the number 8 are littered throughout in reference to the lack of beginnings and endings, with set designers purposefully finding rounded buildings to shoot in as an aside, too. The film is essentially ruled by circularity to reinforce its central premise, even if it isn't obvious on first viewing.