| Summary: | In the process of adapting a written narrative for the silver screen, there is much that can be lost (or gained) in translation. <i>Arrival</i>, Denis Villeneuve’s adaption of Ted Chiang’s <i>Story of Your Life</i>, is no exception. Often analyzed as a work of science fiction, this article argues that understanding <i>Arrival</i> as a work of the frontier gothic renders the attempted erasure of Indigenous presence in the film visible. The frontier gothic elements of <i>Arrival</i>, most prominently the transformation of Chiang’s protagonist, Louise, into a frontier hero(ine), and the looming Montana setting, both evoke and attempt to erase the Indigenous presence in this “frontier”. As a frontier hero, Louise ultimately supersedes the aliens of <i>Arrival</i>, absorbing and appropriating their knowledge and language to save the world (and the superiority of the United States).
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