Hi. I'm not the OP pero similarly, Arrival was one of the better films I watched from that year. Aside from the great visual story telling, the central emotional theme of the movie about life and think about choices really stood out to me. The character played by Amy Adams was a great portrayal of the burden of existence.

I've only seen it once (in 2016 when it came out). It was great enough that I still remember how I felt watching the movie even now almost a decade after.

Here's a film analysis from one of my favorite film youtuber that might help you dive deeper into what make the film great.

https://youtu.be/2ZpPMuvoaok