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00:00As a child, Ellie has always been curious about astronomy and radio signals.
00:04She can spend the whole afternoon at the radio contacting different parts of the world just
00:07for fun, keeping track of all her calls on a map.
00:10Her father always supports her and they often look at space together with a telescope.
00:14Ellie dreams of contacting aliens someday, but sometimes she also wonders if she could
00:18also use a radio to communicate with her dead mother.
00:21Years later, Ellie is a doctor working for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
00:24Program or SETI at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
00:28Just like during her childhood, she spends hours sitting at a radio searching for emissions
00:32sent by aliens to prove they're real.
00:34Her blind co-worker can't has respect for what she does because nobody sits to just
00:37listen anymore.
00:39Ellie starts a new map marking all the spots in the galaxy she's already checked.
00:42One day while having lunch at a restaurant, Ellie is approached by Palmer who asks about
00:46the observatory's current work.
00:48He's writing a book about how technology affects third world countries and has a little plastic
00:52compass that he tries to gift Ellie, but she gives it back.
00:55Palmer gets flirty and they agree to meet on Tuesday.
00:57Soon the president's science advisor David arrives to check on the research but it's
01:01clear he doesn't want to be there.
01:02On Tuesday night they throw a party and David keeps explaining how science projects need
01:06to make profit since it's using people's taxes.
01:09Ellie tries to explain the importance of scientific research and Palmer comes to her defense, only
01:13for David to call him father.
01:15As Ellie's mood drops, she asks Palmer if he's a priest and he denies it, explaining
01:18he got a master in dininity and now he does secular humanitarian work with the support
01:22of third world churches.
01:24Ellie is skeptical but she still leaves with him and they watch the stars for a while so
01:27she can share some of the things she knows.
01:29She also tells him the story of how her dad inspired him to become an astronomer.
01:33The duo shares a kiss and ends up spending the night together.
01:36After they're done, they have a philosophical talk about God and science.
01:40Palmer truly believes in God but Ellie thinks there must be an explanation for everything.
01:44Then Palmer asks Ellie about her childhood, learning her mother died during childbirth
01:47and her father when she was 9.
01:49Ellie gets uncomfortable and announces she must go to work, but she tells Palmer to leave
01:53his phone number.
01:54On her way out, Ellie remembers the day her father died.
01:57That night she heard a noise and went downstairs to discover the dad collapsed.
02:01She had to run back and get the medicine from the upstairs bathroom, but it was too late.
02:05Later during the funeral, a priest explained to her that it had been God's will but Ellie
02:09disagreed.
02:10She thought she just should've kept medicine in the downstairs bathroom too.
02:13Afterward she ignored the other people and rushed to her radio to see if she could contact
02:17her father.
02:18In the present, Kent informs Ellie that David has shut down their project.
02:21A furious Ellie rushes to yell at David, who believes she's wasting her time so he's
02:25saving her career.
02:26Then Ellie returns home and finds Palmer's number with a little compass.
02:30However she calls Kent instead and announces she'll search for investors so their group
02:33can continue their research in New Mexico.
02:36When she moves out, she leaves Palmer's number behind.
02:39Thirteen months later after many failed meetings in other companies, Ellie arrives at Haddon
02:42Industries to make her case, but the board calls her idea science fiction.
02:46Ellie snaps and rants, pointing out all science discoveries were science fiction at some point
02:50in history.
02:51At that moment the board gets a call from CEO Haddon himself, who agrees to fund her
02:55research.
02:56Four years later, Ellie's is still in New Mexico working with massive satellite dishes.
03:01One afternoon Kent comes with bad news, saying they're getting pressure from the scientific
03:04community to present results.
03:06Haddon is willing to fund the project for years, however the telescopes are government
03:10owned and they want to lease them to more profitable people.
03:12It's been decided that the project will be shut down in three months.
03:15Ellie wants to fight however Kent thinks it's time to admit defeat.
03:19In the meantime, Palmer has published his book and has become a spiritual counselor
03:22at the White House.
03:23He appears on TV and explains he is an anti-technology, but he believes people have lost the way because
03:28they're obsessed with computers instead of finding meaning in life.
03:31Days pass and Ellie never stops listening.
03:33One evening, she's shocked to hear a pulsing noise.
03:36Getting very excited, she immediately calls her team to give them the coordinates while
03:39she rushes back to the observatory.
03:41The team gets excited too and starts connecting as many machines as possible as they turn
03:45the satellites to get a better signal.
03:47They work together to do all the tracking and recording, happily confirming it comes
03:50from outer space.
03:52It appears to come from the star Vega, 26 light years away.
03:55This means it's been traveling for over 20 years.
03:58Suddenly the transmission stops and Ellie is about to lose hope, but luckily it soon
04:02restarts.
04:03Ellie realizes the pulses represent prime numbers, which means it's not random and someone
04:07specifically sent it.
04:08After the team argues on how to proceed, they agree to call everyone.
04:12The next morning the area fills with reporters and national security advisors.
04:16The team explains other stations have confirmed their discovery, but national security council
04:20leader Kitts is still not happy that the team told the world instead of keeping the information
04:23classified.
04:24At least this time David defends her, explaining that without the help of other stations they
04:28would have lost the signal.
04:30With Kent's assistance, they discover a second signal coming with the first one and they
04:33connect it to a TV.
04:35The team starts messing around with the settings and finally manages to decode the signals
04:38into a video message.
04:40It's a recording of Hitler's opening speech at the Olympics.
04:42This is the first television transmission that went into space and the aliens have sent
04:46it back as a hello.
04:47The White House panics and the president makes an announcement of the alien contact while
04:50trying not to mention Hitler, assuring reporters that the message is benign.
04:54Ellie gets ready to talk in public, however David is called as the leader of the investigation
04:58instead.
04:59Meanwhile Kent continues to analyze the signal and realizes it has structure.
05:03They put together all the extra frames that don't belong to the Olympics video and discover
05:07it translates into massive amounts of data.
05:09President Ellie makes a presentation about this data and David announces the government
05:12will take over the decryption, causing Ellie to protest because this has always been her
05:16private work.
05:17White House official Rachel allows Ellie to keep control of the investigation but all
05:20progress must always be privately discussed with the government first before making any
05:24public announcements.
05:26Soon media all over the world is talking about this discovery.
05:29Neo-Nazi protesters take over the streets while religious attendance is on the raise.
05:33Health organizations are also worried that mass self-deletion may become a big problem
05:36because some cults have already started to die.
05:39As everyone on TV starts arguing science versus religion, thousands of people camp outside
05:43the facility in New Mexico.
05:45Some are just praying, others are just watching, but many are also protesting.
05:49Ellie is shocked to see a shady organization is offering UFO abduction insurance.
05:53At least most people are having fun, but she worries about a religious fanatic named Joseph
05:57who keeps inspiring hate.
05:59Three weeks after the discovery, Ellie goes home to find an email from an unknown sender.
06:03The text says take me to your leader and Ellie replies who are you?
06:06The answer quickly comes saying I've got a secret and showing part of the alien message.
06:10As Ellie gets angry over a potential hacker, she gets a phone call and fax for a special
06:14appointment.
06:15Moments later a helicopter drops Ellie at the airport and she enters a private plane
06:18to meet Haddon, the man who funded her research and sent those emails.
06:22He lives in that plane and considers Ellie one of his most valuable investments, which
06:26is why he researched her.
06:27Haddon plays a video that summarizes Ellie's life and achievements before revealing he
06:31used to be an engineer too, which is why he hates how the government and religion get
06:34in the way of science.
06:36Then Haddon announces he's deciphered the data and plays it on the screen, showing it
06:39must be arranged in three dimensions to understand it.
06:42The next day Ellie presents this discovery to the government, explaining the data contains
06:46blueprints for some kind of machine.
06:48Since they can't tell what the machine is for, an argument ensues to decide if building
06:51it or not, since it could be dangerous.
06:54The subject of God keeps coming up and Ellie is shocked to see Palmer arrive, saying they
06:58should find a middle point.
06:59The argument is interrupted by the arrival of the president, who hears everyone out.
07:03That night a party is thrown to celebrate this progress and many protesters gather outside,
07:07including Joseph.
07:08They ask scientists to get a real job instead of wasting tax dollars.
07:12Ellie meets with Palmer and they have another philosophical discussion.
07:15She explains she needs proof of things and Palmer asks her to prove she loved her father,
07:19which leaves her speechless.
07:20At that moment they're interrupted by big news that leaked on TV, it's been discovered
07:24that the machine is a one-person spacecraft.
07:26An emergency meeting is held at the White House and they agree to build the machine,
07:30so the president will contact other nations to spread the risk and cost.
07:33A selection committee is formed and Palmer is in it, they'll interview a bunch of candidates
07:37to decide who gets to travel in the machine.
07:39To Ellie's shock, David resigns as science advisor so he can be a candidate too.
07:44Soon media starts discussing how much this whole project will cost the country and who
07:47is worth of making such a trip.
07:49There's a lot of controversy surrounding the 10 final candidates because 1 third are American,
07:53and Japan doesn't volunteer anyone in exchange for a systems integration subcontract.
07:57Ellie appears on TV saying the traveler should understand the language of the message and
08:00that she doesn't think the aliens would send them something that doesn't work, so it shouldn't
08:04be dangerous.
08:05This doesn't stop the top astronaut on the list from withdrawing his candidacy when his
08:08scared children ask him to.
08:10Later Ellie meets with Palmer and explains that due to time dilation, the person will
08:14only spend 4 years in the ship but 50 years will have passed on Earth.
08:17She thinks the sacrifice is worth it if it means finding such important answers, and
08:21they end up kissing again.
08:22On the day of the candidate interviews, Ellie does incredibly well and the committee is
08:26ready to finish.
08:27However Palmer cuts in to ask her about her atheism, which makes her look bad in front
08:31of everyone.
08:32In the end, David is the chosen one.
08:34In the evening, Palmer visits Ellie to explain he couldn't choose someone who thinks most
08:38of the world is delusional, so a crying Ellie gives him back the compass and kicks him out.
08:42The machine is built at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, and crowds begin
08:45gathering there too.
08:47Lots of testing is being done using a robot to detect any side effects for the passenger.
08:51On the day of the launch, Ellie attends the event and David tells her he wishes her idealism
08:55had been enough, but unfortunately the world runs on a profit system.
08:59Then Ellie joins the team in the control room and watches in excitement how the spacecraft
09:02is activated, its rings rotating around it as some sort of accelerator.
09:06While the final tests are run, Ellie looks at the monitor and notices Jospa pretending
09:10to be a worker near the ship.
09:12She immediately warns David and everyone runs to tackle Joseph down, but it's too late,
09:16he activates a bomb and a huge explosion brings down the tower.
09:19As the crowd panics and runs, the falling parts destroy the ship and kill a bunch of
09:23workers, including David.
09:25Some debris flies off but nobody gets hurt outside the ship area.
09:28Sometime later, the authorities hold a proper funeral for the fallen ones while the news
09:32show the goodbye video left by Joseph, in which he said he did everything for the goodness
09:35of mankind.
09:37When Ellie returns home, she discovers some machines waiting for her in her room.
09:41She presses a key and a video call starts, revealing Haddon in the Mir space station.
09:45He's living there because he's dying of cancer and wants to have his last days in space.
09:49He zooms in on a camera in Hokkaido Island, surprising Ellie with a second ship built
09:53by Japan.
09:54The company that got the contract is a subsidiary of Haddon's and did all this in secret.
09:58Ellie immediately travels to Japan in Haddon's private plane and meets the team in a big
10:02ship.
10:03They teach her all she needs to know about the trip and share the safety precautions,
10:06including a container of poison.
10:08They've given this to astronauts for years in case they need to self-delete because they
10:11could get stuck floating in space after a ship failure.
10:14In the evening, Palmer visits Ellie and gives her the compass, confessing he actually didn't
10:18vote for her because he didn't want to lose her.
10:20Soon the media is announcing there's a second machine, but no reporters are allowed on the
10:23site.
10:24On launch day, Ellie gets nervous when she sees all the rings rotating but she advances
10:28anyway.
10:29The technicians make all the connections to her suit and put a camera on her head so the
10:32whole trip gets recorded.
10:34Palmer uses his contacts to bring Kent in so he can give Ellie a good luck message before
10:38takeoff.
10:39The ship begins vibrating which is normal, but Ellie also notices a strange light.
10:43She tries recording it for the team, but the footage is all static.
10:47She theorizes it must be some electromagnetic field and is shocked to see the ship becoming
10:51transparent.
10:52The countdown begins and the team is worried, especially when the ship starts glowing and
10:55all the numbers on the computers are off limits.
10:58They consider aborting the mission, however Kent hears Ellie's voice through the static
11:01swearing she's good to go.
11:03The sea starts going crazy in the area and shakes the ship right before the spacecraft
11:06finally takes off.
11:08Ellie is amazed by the lights that surround her, which quickly turn into the most amazing
11:11and beautiful celestial views.
11:13This soon turns into a tunnel and Ellie theorizes it's a wormhole, describing the whole experience
11:17for the camera even though she can't communicate with ground control anymore.
11:21After crossing what appears to be residual radiation, the ship stops and Ellie sees Vega.
11:26Looking around reveals a weird contraption nearby, only for the ship to suddenly take
11:29off again.
11:31Now Ellie flies through a series of wormholes, which keeps having a strange effect on her
11:34face.
11:35Eventually it stops at another star system and Ellie notices a city on a planet.
11:39She barely gets to see anything else before the ship enters a much more violent wormhole
11:43and the compass starts floating, so Ellie leaves the chair to catch it.
11:46At that moment the chair beaks off and hits the ceiling before the lights go out.
11:50Ellie turns on her flashlight and discovers a celestial event she can't identify.
11:54She's incredibly moved by its beauty and says a poet should have been sent to describe it.
11:58Suddenly she finds herself floating down and she appears on a beach.
12:01This place is also beautiful and looks like a drawing she made as a child.
12:05Poking around causes her hands to meet resistance, meaning this sows some kind of energy or illusion.
12:10At that moment a figure starts running toward her and Ellie is shocked to see her father,
12:13but as soon as she hugs him she realizes he isn't real.
12:16This is an alien, who explains he took this form to communicate with her more easily.
12:20He confirms there are many alien races out there and that humans contacted the universe
12:24first with their radio transmissions.
12:26The travel system Ellie used wasn't built by his people, it was made by an unknown entity.
12:30The aliens watched humans and agreed they were worthy, so they sent them the blueprints
12:34as a first step for humanity to join the rest of the universe.
12:37After he says goodbye, Ellie watches a beautiful meteor shower appear in the sky.
12:41A light suddenly shines too brightly and Ellie finds herself back in the ship, which is landing
12:45back in the Japanese sea.
12:47The team panics and contacts Ellie, saying there was a malfunction and the ship never
12:50left.
12:51After Ellie is rescued she shares her whole experience, but the camera only recorded static.
12:56She swears it's all true, however Kits shows her a recording of the ship falling in seconds.
13:00The next day the president gives a speech saying this is only a misstep, but soon the
13:04other nations are getting into legal disputes.
13:06The media is full of criticism and conspiracy theories, especially when Kits steps down
13:10from his advisor position.
13:12Afterward a congressional committee led by Kits interrogates Ellie, who points out a
13:15wormhole can explain what happened.
13:18Time dilation could have made 1 second on earth equal 18 hours out in space.
13:22Kits immediately calls her out because wormholes are just a theory and drops a big bomb.
13:26Haddon has died and it's believed this whole deal had been a hoax organized by him.
13:29Ellie cries as she begs people to believe her story, shocking herself by requesting
13:33them to have faith since she has no evidence.
13:35Her speech about awe, humility, and hope, inspires Palmer but the committee concludes
13:40her story is also a hoax.
13:41On her way out, Palmer joins Ellie in front of the cameras and a huge crowd, telling the
13:45world he believes her.
13:47Meanwhile in secret Rachel tells Kits that Ellie's camera recorded 18 hours of static.
13:5118 months later, Ellie is working at a new base with extra radar since now SETI has enough
13:55funding to keep going.
13:57Kids visit the base during school trips and Ellie teaches them they must seek their own
14:00answers.
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14:06Thanks for watching.