Memories are what get wacky. The main character (as well as the aliens who “arrive”) can remember the future as well as the past due to learning the alien language. It’s based on the possibly-not-linguistically-sound Sapir-Wharf hypothesis that says the language you speak influences the way you think. The aliens use a circular rather than linear writing system so they think of time in a non-linear way
I don’t remember much about the movie, but isn’t it one of the movies where time gets wacky?
Almost
Spoiler
Memories are what get wacky. The main character (as well as the aliens who “arrive”) can remember the future as well as the past due to learning the alien language. It’s based on the possibly-not-linguistically-sound Sapir-Wharf hypothesis that says the language you speak influences the way you think. The aliens use a circular rather than linear writing system so they think of time in a non-linear way