I watched the movie "Contact" last week, in its entirety. It was not the first time I have seen it but it has certainly been quite a while. For those of you who have not seen it, or don't recall the plot, it is a fictional story about our first contact with beings from another world.
The lead, played by Jodie Foster, is, to say the least, obsessed with the stars and exploring and understanding the universe, and yes, potentially contacting other civilizations. Despite losing her mother who died giving her life, and her father when only nine years old, Ellie makes the most of her intelligence and drive. She eventually attains a job with SETI, the organization which focuses on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
There are a number of twists to the story, not including the fact that the Foster character, Dr Eleanor Arroway, does detect a message from space, setting forth a world wide project to build the "machine" as per the blueprints sent by this alien culture.
One of those side stories is her relationship with Palmer Joss, the character played by Matthew McConaughey. After a brief encounter in the beginning of the story, at a time when both are early in their careers, they meet again when Ellie is up for the "chair" in the machine, and Palmer is on the committee to choose who will occupy that seat.
What is really interesting about their relationships is that Ellie is a true scientist who needs proof for everything, while Palmer is more interested in theology and God's place in our lives. A true example of opposites attracting.
In the meantime, there is the James Wood character who sees conspiracy and danger in everything, the Rob Lowe character who sees religion, his religion, in everything, and the Tom Skerritt character who, while also a scientist, knows that getting funding and being influential and successful, not to mention getting chosen for the chair, means telling people what they want to hear, regardless of sincerity.
Which means, of course, that he is chosen for the coveted seat on the machine. Unfortunately for him, the Jake Busey character, a religious zealot, blows up the machine killing the scientist in the process, and ending the attempt to contact those who sent the message.
But not totally, because the John Hurt character, who has already assisted Ellie in her career with funding, reveals that a second machine was being constructed, and that she has been chosen for the chair.
And so Ellie journeys to another solar system through a series of worm holes until she lands on a beach uncannily resembling the beach mentioned in a conversation between her and her father, who just as coincidentally shows up to greet her.
Not to be deterred, Ellie realizes that the aliens have accessed her memories and created this scene with her father to make her more comfortable. Think about that for a second. An alien culture with no ties to Earth, whisks a member of that planet to a far away destination with a focus on making her feel safe.
Wouldn't it be nice if we treated those people who come to our country, looking for opportunity and freedom with such compassion?
Anyway, when Ellie returns to Earth, she is alarmed to be told that she never left, that the pod she was in passed through the machine straight to the ocean below, and that the whole process took seconds, as opposed to the 18 hours that she experienced.
At this point, I am reluctant to reveal the ending as in some way it is disappointing, although typical of the thinking that seems to hold sway in certain types of government officials.
Contact was released in 1997, almost thirty years ago. Despite the time distance to today, there is much relevance to the film, particularly in the areas of skepticism of science and the relegation of women and minorities to secondary roles in the world.
While the movie does not delve into the conflict between religion and science as represented by the Rob Lowe character, who is depicted as someone less interested in living his religion and more interested in using his religion to control people, and tell them who god hates, it is certainly illustrated in the Jack Busey character who kills himself while destroying the machine.
Strange how, while he is clearly portrayed as an evil person, consumed by ideology and violence, he puts his money where his mouth is and dies for his beliefs. In the past I would have preferred hypocrisy over violence, but lately I have been wondering if people who pretend to be religious but spew hate are actually far worse than the zealot who uses violence to make his point.
Too bad we even have to think about that choice.
The other obvious relevance is the anti-science attitude that has engulfed many sections of society, from those who wish to jail the scientists who developed the strategies that reduced the spread of COVID, to those who actively spread misinformation about vaccines, to even the growing percentage of Americans who doubt our landing on the moon, or who think the Earth is flat.
In some ways, the anti-science attitudes demonstrated in Contact were represented as fringe, even comical. How have we regressed so much that today's conspiracy theories have such sway, even to the current head of the health department of our country, not to mention the occupant of the White House. Fringe has become mainstream.
As for inequality, the theme of Ellie being denied recognition for her talents, and even for her discovery, plays out a few times. The man for whom she has real affection, Palmer Joss, sabotages her chance at the chair by using his intimate knowledge of Ellie's disbelief in God during the hearing to select who will represent the world. At the end, he admits to her that he undermined her chance, not because he was concerned that someone with more faith should be selected, but because he loved her and didn't want to lose her.
He puts his sense of happiness over hers.
At least the scientist who lies to the committee about how someone who believes in God should represent Earth, is transparent in his deception.
Both men represent that age old theory that the man knows best, for himself and everyone else.
As for minority representation in the movie, there are few people of color other than the Angela Bassett character who represents the white house. (Bill Clinton is depicted as the president, with actual real statements from him which loosely refer to what is happening in the movie, without specifying contact with aliens.)
Unfortunately, she plays along with the James Wood character at the end when the truth of what happened is revealed. Can you say compromise yourself to be a part of the establishment?
For no other reason, Contact is worth seeing again, as it asks some questions without real answers. Makes you think without restricting any thoughts. Perhaps even inspires you to imagine that we might be just one of thousands of lifeforms in the universe and so, like two fleas fighting over who owns the dog, we might want to expand our sense of us and them, whereby us is every Earthling.
And maybe even seek leaders who embrace diversity, equity and inclusion knowing that without such characteristics, we will never be able to interact with extraterrestrials, let alone continue to thrive on this pinpoint of rock in the vast expanse of the universe.
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I have posted under the label "Movies and Life" a number of times in the past, most recently with my post about the Bob Dylan biopic. Here are links to a few other movies I have discussed, their relevance to life, and the lessons I derived from them.
https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2014/08/lucy.html
https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2019/08/easy-rider.html
https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2023/06/everyday-workers-and-walter-mitty.html
https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2023/05/a-film-about-man-called-otto.html
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