Movie Review: Proximity (2024) – First Contact Is Just the Beginning
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)

“They came from beyond the stars. But what they awakened was already inside us.”

In Proximity (2024), director Kiera Langston delivers a sleek and cerebral sci-fi thriller that asks not only what it means to make first contact with extraterrestrial life, but what it means to make first contact with ourselves. With shades of Arrival, Contact, and Annihilation, this film is both a visual spectacle and a philosophical puzzle.

Plot Summary (Spoiler-Free)

The story follows Maya Reyes (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a linguistics expert and trauma survivor who is recruited by a shadowy global agency after a series of unidentified objects crash across Earth. But what begins as a standard “decode the alien language” mission quickly turns into something far more intimate — and dangerous. The aliens don’t want war. They want understanding. And their message isn’t just for humanity… it’s for Maya.

A Quietly Bold Approach to First Contact

Unlike most alien encounter films, Proximity avoids the explosion-heavy formula in favor of tension, mood, and slow-burning mystery. Langston’s direction is patient and meticulous, allowing moments of silence, uncertainty, and emotional vulnerability to carry the narrative.

The screenplay leans into big questions: What is memory? Can truth survive perception? And are we ready to evolve — not technologically, but emotionally?

Performance Highlights

Mbatha-Raw is exceptional in the lead role, grounding the film with a raw, human performance that resists genre clichés. Her scenes with the enigmatic alien emissary (portrayed through a haunting blend of practical effects and motion capture by Doug Jones) are strangely beautiful, filled with both fear and fragile trust.

Supporting turns from Hiroyuki Sanada as a morally conflicted scientist and Jodie Comer as an ambitious AI ethicist round out a strong ensemble.

Visuals and Score

The production design is minimalist but striking, with sleek alien tech that feels organically unsettling. The score by Max Richter is equally restrained — melodic, melancholic, and otherworldly — enhancing the emotional undercurrents of the story.

Weaknesses?

Some may find the pacing a bit too meditative, especially in the second act, which lingers heavily on introspection. The final twist, while bold, may divide audiences. But these are small criticisms for a film that dares to challenge its genre boundaries.

Final Verdict

Proximity (2024) is smart, haunting, and refreshingly mature science fiction. It reminds us that the greatest unknown might not be light-years away — but within ourselves.

Verdict: A slow-burn sci-fi gem with heart, brains, and a deep sense of wonder.