In the wake of all the #Dune hype, I've been in a very Villeneuve mood, and I can't stop thinking about how #Arrival's Louise Banks is everything a compelling sci-fi protagonist should be. Also, I desperately love how she uses empathy and language as superpowers.
A lesser movie handled by a lesser filmmaker would've made the mistake of imbuing Louise's character with a certain brand of sci-fi heroine machismo, which is to say that her problem-solving skills would stem from acts that are stereotypical of male protagonists; chiefly violence
as a first line of defense to any conflict that comes her way.

INSTEAD, there is this very solemn, quiet, passionate, very uniquely feminine energy that Louise just RADIATES, where she is always openly giving herself to the scenario, looking for the blindspots for diplomacy.
And what sticks with me as a lingering afterimage of this film is seeing Louise again and again reckon with events that are just out of her reach, that are prone to tragedy, but choosing to embrace the opportunity to know genuine love, be it romantic or maternal.
Haven't been able to shake myself loose of the thought, honestly.

That Louise stands on the razor's edge of knowing pain and CHOOSING to embrace it for the sake of love being irreplaceable.

To me, that act alone encapsulates what I feel is femininity at its best:
Resolve. Tenacity. But also tenderness. Empathy. An understanding of the constraints of the system that you're confined to, and choosing to embrace your choice as an assertion of your own agency. And perhaps most saliently, knowing when to take a stand for love.
This is by no means to say that the Ripleys of the sci-fi genre are somehow without merit; on the contrary - we need both portrayals to exist. But I'd like to see more characters like Louise find greater acclaim for how they imbue a very real sense of human nuance in their works.
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