Womanpower at the Movies: ARRIVAL and THE EAGLE HUNTRESS

This week at a theater near you, whether multiplex or arthouse, there is something to support and buoy up the spirits of women young and old, and the men who love them. There is the sci-fi feature ARRIVAL, from director Denis Villeneuve starring Amy Adams, and THE EAGLE HUNTRESS, a documentary from director Otto Bell that is narrated by executive producer Daisy Ridley. Both show the strength and resolve ever-present in women around the world, and both are worth your time. Here are the reviews from Cinema Siren:

ARRIVAL: Amy Adams Brings Home the Independent, Unwavering Spirit and Brainpower of All Women

ARRIVAL is the science fiction film for people who avoid them because they see them as vapid, effects-driven, plot deficient time-drains. Fans loyal to the genre will also embrace the film, which is about a linguist who is tasked with translating the language of recently landed aliens, in order to open inter-species communications. Auteur director Denis Villeneuve of Oscar-nominated SICARIO and INCENDIES is at the helm. He has begun, to the advantage of movielovers everywhere, straddling the line between indie and blockbuster frameworks. He is frequently in the press about his current project BLADE RUNNER 2049, which, even before its release, has made him the darling of sci-fi geeks the world over. In ARRIVAL, there is a depth to the lead character’s personal journey, however, and larger messages about acceptance, tolerance, and compassion, that will bring the art house film devotees into his fold.

Amy Adams plays Dr. Louise Banks, a linguist who gets recruited by members of a military task force. They are attempting to make sense of what the twelve oblong-shaped spaceships are doing floating just above the ground in various locations across the world. She and physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) are the American contingent trying to make contact with the aliens, and time is essential as other countries are deciding if the aliens pose a threat worthy of starting military action, which may lead to the destruction of the planet.

One of VIlleneuve’s best qualities as a director, is he can create meditative, deep, meaningful scenes that also build tension or intensity. There is no lack of forward action in ARRIVAL, it’s just built from putting together moments of personal experience that build character, and the assembly of costars as they energize to solve problems, and try to save the world from self destruction. ARRIVAL requires thought, concentration, and is more a brain teaser in the vein of MOMENTO, than any sort of sci-fi movie you might know other than perhaps SOLARIS.

The single most compelling and notable aspect of the film is the unwavering intelligence and insight, and the nerviness and instinct of the female lead character. She has more than a little in common with GRAVITY’s Ryan Stone and Murph of INTERSTELLAR. Adams’s Dr. Banks is haunted, preoccupied, obsessive, and driven, and she is all that, as well as a genius, with a growing understanding of the aliens that goes beyond anyone else in the film. She is the one who must solve the puzzle that saves humanity. She does so without compromising her individuality or whatever gender-assigned qualities she may reveal as part of her personality.

The story does not unfold in a linear way. Time is bent and manipulated to reveal the whole picture. It is done in such a way that only at the end is the true nature of the film, and what it says in terms of bigger messages, exposed. Audiences will be considering how it might speak to them personally, and how it speaks about humanity needing to work together in peace, for a long time after the lights come up. In fact, there’s an argument to be made for repeated viewing.

In these post-election days, when women need to be reminded there are places they are represented in a powerful, truthful way, ARRIVAL offers them a story and character that does just that.

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THE EAGLE HUNTRESS movie review: One Young Lady's Gender-Busting Landscape

A documentary has flown in just when parents of little girls are looking for ways to reaffirm their power, and its name is THE EAGLE HUNTRESS. The movie follows Aisholpan, a 13 year old nomadic child who lives in the Altai Mountains in Central and East Asia, who decides she wants to become an eagle hunter like her father and those before him. The women of her people are not accepted as eagle hunters, and no woman in her family has ever learned to master the skill. Many of the old guard of Kazakh eagle hunters reject the notion that any female should take part in the tradition, but Aisholpan is determined and steadfast in her desire to fulfill her dream.

Eagle hunting has been used for centuries by her people, the Kazakhs, to kill small animals like rabbits and marmots for food, and foxes for furs to keep warm. In 2016 they don’t need to do so, because the animals are hunted with guns, but the tradition continues, for cultural and nationalistic reasons, although in ancient times the hunting had religious, spiritual, or shamanistic aspects. There were and still are gorgeous and colorful equipment and costume, including decorated leather arm coverings as protection from the eagle talons, and robes in which to stay warm during the hunt. It takes a fierce strength and fearlessness to not only train and partner with their birds, but also to go out into the wilderness for weeks to hunt.

Director Otto Bell tells an exceedingly linear and straight ahead story, but with a clear eye towards exposing the joy and commitment of this rule-breaking, stereotype-busting young lady. We as the audience get to see her learn at the right hand of her father and master eagle hunter Nurgaiv, and be supported by her strong, hardworking mother Almagul. We also see her both compete at the annual festival in Olgii and go out into the dangerous wilds of the Mongolian steppe in 40 below zero temperatures to hunt with her golden eagle for the first time.

While Bell has been criticized for manipulating the filming of Aisholpan’s journey and experience, the challenges are still the same, and the inspiring nature of both Aisholpan’s hard work and her unflagging determination are authentic enough to make the film a great opportunity for role modeling, and for families to watch together. The landscape, as well, is spectacular, especially for those who love nature and our continued connectedness to it.

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