I’m probably one of the few directors who will mention Tarkovsky’s Mirror as a key influence. A lot of directors like Stalker or Solaris. But Mirror is an unbelievable piece of art. It’s like a dream. It has no narrative, only feelings, ideas, sensations. It’s like a puzzle you have to put together, but the puzzle pieces are emotions. It’s pure cinema, pure poetry. That’s what I try to do with my films, to go beyond story, beyond narrative, and create an experience for the audience.
The way he plays with time, memory, and the subjective experience... In Arrival, the non-linear structure and the focus on internal experience owe something to him.