Ever come across a piece of cinematic excellence that left you asking “What if this actually happened?” If you’re a film buff and haven’t had the opportunity of watching “District 9” then I have a feeling you’ve never truly asked yourself that particular question in true inquisitive form. Neill Blomkamp’s directorial debut epitomizes the perfect marriage between Sci-fi & Drama.
A detour from the clichéd “the world is ending, the aliens are coming” storyline, District 9 tells the story of alien refugee’s stranded on Earth upon arrival, their ship lifelessly hovering over Johannesburg, South Africa.. Reports suggest that the ship became stranded after a command module separated from the ship and dropped to Earth, nowhere to be found. The story fast-tracks to 20 years ahead (noted as 2010) where the aliens find themselves in a make-shift slum settlement called District 9. MNU (a private military contractor) are charged with the relocation of the now 1.8 million refugees to a settlement outside the city, but not without an agenda to exact their own means of technological advancement while they inhumanely maintain law & order. The conditions portrayed in the slums are appalling & anarchic as the aliens strive to survive amongst growing human angst for them to vacate the settlement. The movie, shot as a faux-documentary, primarily follows the life of Dr. Wikus Van Der Merwe who is charged with heading the relocation. It isn’t until his exposure to alien biotechnology that the drama settles in and Wikus finds himself a fugitive from the human race and MNU, fighting to retain his former stature as a member of the human race and embarking on a dramatic journey, one without an ascertained destination.
What I found to be most appealing about the movie and its plot was the parade of raw emotions that transitioned from the civilized world to that of the visitors. The drama itself is reminiscent of that of the Brazilian slums witnessed in Fernando Meirelles’s “City of God”. The need to explore and communicate the living conditions and drama of the situation that the aliens find themselves in is what I believe to be Neill’s greatest achievement in this endeavor as it leaves the stage open to a flurry of queries. This modern day marriage of science & drama depicts a reality that is not too far-fetched for the imagination not to take seriously whilst completely divorced from mainstream sci-fi notion that prophesizes technological advancements for the human race with the arrival of alien life-forms; a fact that was driven home throughout the storyline.
The first of a foretold series, District 9 will surely be remembered as a first to its kind and I recommend it as a must-watch flick. Though it’s fueled my creativity and perspective, I have unfortunately lost my appetite for shrimp, possibly permanently!
