Arrival ending explained

What happens

Louise stops a war by calling General Shang with words from his future. We see that the scenes of Hannah were glimpses ahead, not memories. She tells Ian about their daughter's death, and he leaves.

The last image

Louise, knowing the loss to come, stands with her daughter and chooses to have her anyway.

What it says

The ending says that understanding something fully means accepting it, pain included. Louise doesn't fight fate; she says yes to love despite certain loss. The film ends here to leave you with one question: would you do the same?