THE ARRIVAL

 DIRECTED BY DANIEL MONTANARINI


What makes 'The Arrival' particularly interesting is its lack of dialogue - it is all told through a voiceover. In the film, Anna sits at a table of a cafe and worries about revealing the fact that she is pregnant. 

The film begins with the camera behind the door, obscuring our view of Anna, and as the film goes on, the camera slowly zooms in, becoming more and more personal as we discover more about her. In revealing her thoughts to us, we get a clearer picture of who this woman is physically as well as metaphorically.

Throughout the film, people move in between the woman and the camera, entering the cafe. This makes the viewer feel like passive observers; while we get insight into this woman's most intimate thoughts, the world moves on around her. Her coffee spills and people move around her as her thoughts become more frantic. At her most vulnerable moment, a train passes -  the outside world reflecting her mental state. This is also the point where the camera is closest to her face, and it feels almost claustrophobic.

However, the film ends with a sense of hope. The camera starts to pan away from her, and she gets the decaf coffee she wanted from the start. Therefore, perhaps she will get what she wants with her relationship and baby as well.




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