One of my mom’s favorite movies is Contact (1997). So I’ve seen it many times. And we’ve discussed it a lot. The movie is an adaptation of a novel by Carl Sagan, known for believing in and researching extraterrestrial life. For Sagan, the idea of aliens replaces the idea of God, in the sense that there is some other benevolent and powerful being out there that is watching us, who cares for us, and will save us.