Contact

[Tristan]

What's your opinion about contact (1997) by Robert Zemeckis, the once I watched this movie impacted me especially some of the scenes. Jodie Foster transmits very well she's brilliant.

 

[Jacques]

Hi Tristan,

Maybe you could tell us what is your impression first. Why did it have such an impact on you and what scenes did you like most ?

 

[Tristan]

I remember I burst into tears when she found his father above all and it was amazing when she was traveling through wormhole as well :).

 

[anart]

I remember enjoying that movie at the time it came out. Perhaps I'll rent it again and see what I think of it now. :)

 

[Z...]

Jodie Foster is my favorite actress but I remember very little of the movie, I remember that the ending was anticlimactic but forgot details of the plot, I even read the book and still don't remember much

 

[ana]

I remember enjoying that movie at the time it came out.

me too :)

i became trapped by the scene with "her father" as i felt despair at the refusal to explain more asking her to wait, and also the frustration that causes not fully understand what happened and being unable to transfer her experience to others.

 

[un chien anadolu]

One good thing i remember was the hint that time is an illusion of this density, dimension, reality. She spent some time in the other reality after travelling through worm hole (where she met her father). But when she came back they told her that they lost the contact with her only for a few seconds.

 

[EmeraldHope]

It made me emotional when she met her father also. But, it then made me a bit upset when I found out it wasn't really her father. That is a trick. It made me think if Laura's work and the Lizzies. Basically you had an ET who pretended to be her father and portay he was good and left her hanging. Why didnt they show her whay the being REALLY looked like?

 

[nwigal]

It made me emotional when she met her father also. But, it then made me a bit upset when I found out it wasn't really her father. That is a trick. It made me think if Laura's work and the Lizzies. Basically you had an ET who pretended to be her father and portay he was good and left her hanging. Why didnt they show her whay the being REALLY looked like?

I always interpreted the scene as she is meeting her father who is also something else. I was hoping the movie would explore the possibility that she would have realized the same thing about herself.

 

[EmeraldHope]

It made me emotional when she met her father also. But, it then made me a bit upset when I found out it wasn't really her father. That is a trick. It made me think if Laura's work and the Lizzies. Basically you had an ET who pretended to be her father and portay he was good and left her hanging. Why didnt they show her whay the being REALLY looked like?

I always interpreted the scene as she is meeting her father who is also something else. I was hoping the movie would explore the possibility that she would have realized the same thing about herself.

I see your point nwigal.

I guess I didn't even think of it that way beacuse of my knowledge of "Project Bluebeam" ,whether real or not, which is a possible planned alien invasion, possibly faked, or perhaps it really is a cover for the wave and the beings that are approaching us. In looking at it in this light, along with many other movies and new age material made to have humanity see the ET's as our friends and helpers or saviours, and being "good", I tied it in to that as being a "trick". I just felt like deep down after the initial scene of them meeting, that it wasn't really him but a form that would be appealing to her. I was actually thinking to myself ," Show her what you REALLY lok like", lol.

 

[Mixtli]

The movie is great. Facing spirituality/religion versus technology/Extraterrestrial life. And also talking about faith. And I loved the message that we are not alone and that we need to grow a little more.

 

[nwigal]

It made me emotional when she met her father also. But, it then made me a bit upset when I found out it wasn't really her father. That is a trick. It made me think if Laura's work and the Lizzies. Basically you had an ET who pretended to be her father and portay he was good and left her hanging. Why didnt they show her whay the being REALLY looked like?

I always interpreted the scene as she is meeting her father who is also something else. I was hoping the movie would explore the possibility that she would have realized the same thing about herself.

I see your point nwigal.

I guess I didn't even think of it that way beacuse of my knowledge of "Project Bluebeam" ,whether real or not, which is a possible planned alien invasion, possibly faked, or perhaps it really is a cover for the wave and the beings that are approaching us. In looking at it in this light, along with many other movies and new age material made to have humanity see the ET's as our friends and helpers or saviours, and being "good", I tied it in to that as being a "trick". I just felt like deep down after the initial scene of them meeting, that it wasn't really him but a form that would be appealing to her. I was actually thinking to myself ," Show her what you REALLY lok like", lol.

Maybe it was a trick, involving her "real father" as a past vector for subsequent manipulation. Knowing what I know about my parents, if I ever met them on a higher plane of existence as beings of "love and light", I would be suspicious.
Her character starts out with a dogged persistence for the truth, and ends up staring at the stars, self-calmed. Maybe it's my interpretation, but that seems scary and tragic.

 

[NewYorker]

It made me emotional when she met her father also. But, it then made me a bit upset when I found out it wasn't really her father. That is a trick. It made me think if Laura's work and the Lizzies. Basically you had an ET who pretended to be her father and portay he was good and left her hanging. Why didnt they show her whay the being REALLY looked like?

I know this thread was a while ago but I'm a newbie.

Actually, I believe you did see what the alien really looked like. Remember when she is looking down the beach and there is a translucent disruption that is walking towards her which then starts to transform into human shape. That disturbance in the light (form of energy) was the real alien which would have been difficult for her to talk to and most likely would use telepathy to communicate anyway (not so dramatic in a movie, I guess). So it needs to be a human shape and there is no person in more ingrained in her memory to grab onto except her father.

Contact is a great movie with some very interesting tidbits in it. I love the discussion she has with Palmer in Washington where she is ranting about no proof God exists. Palmer asks her if she loved her father and she seriously responds, "yes, very much". Palmer responds "prove it". What a fantastic line which applies to so many of the "non provable" realities out there like UFO's, clairvoyance, paranormal sightings, etc. How can you prove an energy?

I also love the side aspect that she was the true believer who got pushed aside by the opportunists but in the long run, she is the person who goes - perhaps by "their" doing!

And wasn't that quadruple star system stunningly beautiful?!

Cheers.

 

[Maat]

I really like this movie, it's one of my favourite. It's very rich, address so lot of questions : science, faith, fanaticism, love, others, mourning, cosmos, nature, history and just life...

I know it's from a book of Carl Sagan, which I never read, but maybe those who have ever interested themself in ufology will wonder like me if this overtly skeptic man had put in this his private opinion.

Like NewYorker, I'd like the discussion between the priest and the scientist who need evidence and who received the answer "so prove your love of your father"

And of course the trial scene... OK no spoiler

And the final word : "The universe is a pretty big place. It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it's just us... seems like an awful waste of space."

Anyway, it's not a recent movie but for those who never saw it, I can only recommend it strong : a lot food for thought IMO

 

[Cleo]

I like this movie as well and rewatched it late last year.

Curious, anyone have an idea of the meaning/significance behind the close up shot of her farher or the being that appears as her father, kneeling down at the beach to gather sand, the sand then running through his fingers (the star system then appearing lit up on his hand)? This is the scene after she goes through the wormhole.

When I saw this scene again last year I was reminded of a dream I had, still wondering about that particular shot in the scene.