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Brada (3)
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The movie is based on a brilliant 56 page short story by Ted Chiang entitled "Story of Your Life". The subplot concerning Russia and China was added for the movie and is not in the original story. The story deals with free will vs determinism; and that our brains are wired according to the language we use and how that affects our perception of reality. The gift from the aliens was the language they taught us, which provided a new way for us to perceive reality.
I too read the short story first. I agree that the story is a work of genius. It is the best fiction I've read that deals with free will vs determinism. One of the themes of the short story is that when we are born, our brains become wired and our thoughts organized according to our language. The construction of the plot of the short story is brilliant.
By the way, the short story doesn't waste time with a subplot about China and Russia. That is what the movie is about. I was disappointed that they felt they had to resort to those worn out geopolitical cliches to entertain. I will let others ponder the reasons for that.
In the short story, the aliens brought us a gift. Understanding their language taught a different way to perceive reality.
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