some scattered thoughts on “District 9″

I went into District 9 having only seen a single trailer. I was mostly excited about seeing a sci-fi movie that was reviewing well with mainstream film critics. I went in not expecting much, and walked out blown away.

It’s well documented by now that the movie draws thematic influence from South African apartheid–it’s also one element of the film that’s not easy to criticize. Director Neill Blomkamp’s idea of replacing one “other” with an extraterrestrial “other” gives him the ability to mine the veins of both segregation and otherness in general, but also the current American obsession with the notion of illegal aliens, but partway through the film I started wondering, is this it? What next? Thankfully an interesting story stems out of this interesting concept of segregation.

The aliens in this film are not the malicious, seemingly impervious creatures of other summer blockbusters like Independence Day. These aliens are refugees, stranded, in need of help. They are completely dependent on humans to survive. And when that happens, it’s only a matter of time before abuses occur. Instead of receiving that help, the aliens are put into what eventually turns into a slum in Johannesburg. The film calls into question the limits of human rights, and asks if these creatures, who are not from our planet, who do not speak out language, and who did not even ask to stay, are worthy of the same basic human freedoms that, when we think about it from this angle, we do not even afford to all members of our own species. Which, of course, is the question the movie pushes us to ask.

In spite of the tremendous script and the incomparable Weta Workshop special effects, the real revelation to me was the performance of unknown actor Sharlto Copley, who plays Wikus Van De Merwe, a worker for the multinational corporation charged with dealing with the extraterrestrial refugees, and our protagonist. His performance is nuanced, and several scenes showcased his dramatic range. The script required his character to go through significant progression, and Copley negotiated the role wonderfully. I loved watching him through the whole movie, especially the way he pronounced, “Fohck!” I fully expect that we’ll see more of him in the future.

The film follows a fairly standard plot, in which a member of one side of the conflict is introduced to and eventually becomes sympathetic toward the other (an over-simplification, I know, but I don’t want to have spoilers. You know, in case the four people who read this haven’t seen the movie). The movie blends elements of documentary film-making, intimate character drama, and all-out summer action in ways that, while narratively problematic (the movie blends documentary interviews with intimate character scenes, leading us to wonder exactly what we’re watching and who’s showing it to us), are incredible to watch nonetheless. But in an odd way these problematic elements did not detract from my enjoyment of the film–the themes and characters were so strong, and the action was so involving, that I was willing to forgive them. The simple plot was effective in conveying the manifold problems stemming from this alien immigration, and the documentary bits gave valuable context at key points in the narrative.

I’m having some trouble articulating what this film does so right, partially because it blind-sided me. I was expecting so much less from this movie, but nonetheless ended up seeing what may be my favorite movie of the year besides Pixar’s Up.

See it.