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District 9: A Distinct Take on Racism in the Future September 3rd, 2009 Posted by Hunter Wilson
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Ever heard the saying that we are doomed to repeat history if we do not learn from it? District 9, Peter Jackson’s scifimentary (science fiction documentary), takes an introspective look on mankind’s inability to be stop ourselves from repeating our history of abusing and subjugating those who we designate as different or the other. In this case, the other are aliens. Previously depicted in other films as evil, cunning and war like, Jackson takes artistic license by instead depicting them as peaceful simple creatures whose main focus is on seeking scavenging for food and surviving in their ramshackle shelters. When they inadvertently lose power to their spaceship over post-Apartheid Johannesburg, the aliens find themselves put into a temporary camp until a long-term solution is found. Ten years later, tensions are high and the temporary camp is now cordoned off from the rest of the citizens of the city by barbed wire while plans for moving the aliens even further away begin as orchestrated by the government agency dedicated to controlling the alien problem .
It is during this process that we meet our main character. Spouting the rhetoric of the government agency, the main character does his job of implementing the eviction of the aliens who are derogatorily refers to as prawns. As we see him perform his job with total detachment, it becomes clear to the audience that rather than tackling racism and bigotry first-hand, Jackson is taking artistic license by having the perpetual looking glass placed on how we as a society would treat a peaceful alien race. By having the aliens be bug/reptile like, Jackson to some extent helps us rationalize the innate need to ostracize and separate ourselves from them. When you initially see the behavior, language and overall derogatory manner in which the aliens are treated, it is surprising how easy it is to accept: eerily so. Through the eyes of the main human character, the audience experiences the transformation from self-serving human to self-sacrificing alien. It is through this transformation and the main characters interaction with the aliens that we really come to understand the scope of the atrocities that we have perpetuated against the aliens who simply had the bad luck of getting stranded on our planet.

From a science-fiction perspective, the movie is filled with excellent special effects. Yet, I personally found myself more focused on the documentary elements and the introspective script. Perhaps, the only negative comment which can be made about the movie is that from a marketing standpoint one is not clear about whether you are going to watch a documentary or a science fiction movie. As a result of this marketing flaw, the movie can be a bit overwhelming if you are expecting your standard sci-fi fare or even a standard documentary.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5
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Hunter Wilson
Owner, CarolinaNightlife.com1 Posts
Charles is the Executive Director of Carolina Nightlife and very involved in the nightlife industry in NC and SC. He has been working with venues of all sizes, different brands and products, and countless events across NC and SC for over 8 years.