The Director's Series: Denis Villeneuve, No. 1


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

Arrival (2016)
Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker
Director: Denis Villeneuve
About: If you polled 10 different people, I'd guess they'd all have a different Villeneuve film that's their favorite. He's an incredible artist and a great visual director. Many of his films are quite powerful and have stunning stories and visuals. Some have worked better for me than others. I've looked at many of his films I've enjoyed on this list. But Arrival is my favorite of his films, and one of my favorite films of all-time. It has a simple and yet powerful story. It has the standard strong visuals and production values of Villeneuve's other films, but it's the story that stands out to me. It's a fascinating idea and it's deeply emotional. I love the way the narrative unfolds. This is an incredibly powerful film that is under-rated. It's Villeneuve at his best.

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