Analysis and Review: District 9
Blomkamp Elevates Science Fiction Genre to New Stratospheres
Oct 9, 2009
On the surface, District 9 (written by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson) appears to be your everyday sci-fi/action thriller: a harsh conflict between two alien races with a main character trapped in a proverbial “no-man’s land,” finally deciding to “do the right thing.” Indeed, it is based upon Neill Blomkamp’s original short film, which lacks the subtly and social comment of the new version. At a close look, District 9 has numerous layers which must be carved away until the pith of the story is understood. Although movie-goers looking for an action-packed, explode-in-your-face film will not leave the theatre disappointed, neither will those looking for a work of literary genius.
The main premise of the movie centers around an alien race, derogatorily labeled “prawns,” unwillingly placed in a refugee camp on the soil of Earth. Writer and director Neill Blomkamp takes the homeless setting of a refugee camp to another level, as the relocation is not only geographical foreign to the residents, but extra-terrestrially foreign as well.
Just as the relocation camp is a hyped version of the refugee areas we have in reality, so the residents are of course “dehumanized.” Blomkamp is clearly demonstrating, within the science fiction genre, the reality of the “dehumanization” that occurs here on Earth as people-groups are politically and militaristically separated from homes and lives.
‘Identity’ in District 9
Imagine the worst racial or social conflict here on Earth between two diametrically opposed world views. Now imagine a lonesome individual whose identity is compromised, transformed, and re-established from one side of the conflict to the other. Blomkamp accomplishes this feat with his character, Wikus Van De Merwe (portrayed by actor Sharlto Copley) as a human who is biologically converted into a prawn. In this beautifully crafted situation, the viewer is given a theatre-seat view (literarily and figuratively) into Blomkamp’s own thought experiment: What if your identity was changed, especially if it is the basis for your position in an embittered conflict situation? What would be the internal struggle of an Israeli if she were scientifically transformed into a Palestinian? Or of a Nazi who suddenly becomes a Jewish person? This is Blomkamp’s amazing experiment of “District 9” and it is certainly a wild ride for any viewer, visually and even spiritually.
‘Acceptance’ in District 9
In addition to the struggle Blomkamp meticulously weaves inside Wikus, the external conflict wages on, not only militarily, but with acceptance and distrust. Early on in the film, we see Wikus as one who intentionally builds relationships with those around him. He is easily like-able, and people are drawn to him. In opposition to this social success is the discomfort that Wikus experiences in his place of employment. Although recently promoted, it is clear to the viewer that Wikus is unsure of himself professionally and is constantly trying to prove his credibility and earn the respect of his co-workers. This position of insecurity is magnified and enhanced as Wikus is occluded, not only from his work but from his social network and ultimately his species.
Of course, with his transformation, Wikus is a stranger to both major species groups of humans and prawns. He becomes an outcast in every sense of the word, and he battles existentially against both world views for acceptance and friendship. Blomkamp forces Wikus, a naturally friendly and out-going character, into the most difficult of situations; the position of The Other. The viewer gets to see firsthand Wikus’s own pining to be valued, and essentially, to be treated as equal.
‘Equality’ in District 9
At the heart of it, this is a movie about equality. The prawns are looking for equal standing with humans. Wikus is searching for equal standing with anyone. In the heat of the battle, their searches become intertwined and almost identical. Wikus’s fate becomes tied to the fate of the prawns as a species.
The underlying message of Blomkamp’s film is not lost on the sensitive viewer. The fantastic special effects and wonderful story-line will draw in the active film connoisseur and open up another world to him or her. While this world might appear alien at first glance, Blomkamp will force his viewers to see that indeed, it looks eerily like our own.
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