It took Amy Adams and a contingent of aliens to draw a crowd to Tuesday night’s “Arrival” screening, the crowd of familiar faces seemingly undeterred by the evening’s incessant rain.
The screening and after party at the Lower East Side’s Metrograph, put on by The Cinema Society and Spike Jonze, took on a casual vibe as guests like Sienna Miller, Laura Prepon, Patti Smith, Michael Stipe and Ben Foster, clad in sweaters and jeans, eschewed the red carpet — or hustled through it — in favor of catching up over pre-movie popcorn and snagging a front row seat for the alien landing.
Stipe, for his part, came to support Jonze, and admittedly, for a glance at the other-worldly. “I really like aliens,” Stipe divulged. “I’m a dreamer, like all of us.”
Stipe is now working on a book of his photography, due out next year.
Adams, who in the film plays a linguist recruited by the Army to communicate with extraterrestrial creatures who have landed on earth, stressed that “Arrival” isn’t meant to be a fantastical escape for those looking to forget about today’s own uncertain political climate. “It’s more about human nature, how humans respond to the aliens…I think what struck me about people’s experience with ‘Arrival’ is that it didn’t allow them to step outside [themselves],” she said. “I don’t think we’re looking for a an escape. We’re now looking to address, and create purpose and create hope.”
A menagerie of alien landings and human emotions, “Arrival” addresses elements of the unknown, which left audience members feeling introspective at the after party. “I’m speechless, it was so powerful and so beautiful,” said Christina Hendricks, her husband Geoffrey Arend in tow. “I’m crying just talking about it.”
With all the talk of the unfamiliar surrounding the movie, Adams kept the night’s wardrobe within her personal comfort zone. “It’s Roland,” said Adams of her Roland Mouret long-sleeved black mid-length dress. “I just call him Roland now. Anytime I’m done ‘dressing’ and just want to zip a dress on, it’s Roland.”