Drama · Science Fiction · Mystery
American
1997 · Directed by Robert Zemeckis · 150 min
Ellie Arroway is a radio astronomer who has spent her working life listening to the sky for evidence that humanity is not alone. Against sceptical funders, ambitious rivals and her own private losses, she keeps listening. Part science drama and part political thriller, it asks what we would need in order to believe.
Why it matters in cinema history
A defining late-1990s example of the thoughtful, adult science fiction film, and an important bridge between the cosmic wonder of 2001 and the intellectual sci-fi of the 2010s.
Watch with intention
Watch it as an argument about evidence: who is believed, who pays, and what each character needs before they will say they know something.
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