Video Essay Compares ARRIVAL to the Short Story On Which It's Based

Lessons from the Screenplay is back with a new video, and this one focuses on my favorite film of 2016: Denis Villeneuve's Arrival. The video essay compares the film to Ted Chiang's short story "Story of Your Life," on which the film is based, and examines one of the core concepts of great science fiction cinema: that while on the surface, these films may appear to be about aliens and spaceships, they're actually all about humanity.

As soon as I saw Arrival, I bought Chiang's short story...but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, so I didn't watch this whole video because I still want to see what those differences are for myself. But based on videos from this channel I've seen and loved in the past, I have no problem vouching for the quality of this one sight unseen.

Start your free trial today, at http://www.squarespace.com/LFTS to get 10% off your first purchase. Examining how Arrival was adapted from the short story it was based on, how clever editing kept the focus on the protagonist, and why good science fiction is really a study of humanity.