District 9

[scout]

I think that's rather black and white thinking, especially seeing as though the film allows the viewer to come to their own interpretation of the movie. The allegory was somewhat vague, intentionally IMO. The viewer can project their own metaphor onto the aliens, and if they choose to be pro-alien, I don't think you can fault anyone. I mean really, does it have that grand of scope? Do you think ALL aliens are bad? Do you think we should not trust ALL aliens? That's a rather reactionary view to have.

Good points -- after thinking about it, you're probably right! My thinking is a little black & white, here. And no, all aliens do not have to be bad. (I'd rather like to meet a good one.)

Thanks for the perspective.

 

[Gimpy]

Why weren't they integrated? How come their fuel causes genetic mutation of a very specific type? Why didn't the aliens ever use their weapons to defend themselves? How come one alien seems to have intelligence while the rest were rather dumb?

In the beginning, there were news snippets that showed the aliens being thrown out of integrated communities for the bad actions of a few, and forced into the area that became District 9.

Not only that, but also in the beginning it is clearly stated that most if not all of the surviving aliens were of the "worker class" and more like drones. All of the higher caste aliens had perished. Christopher Johnson seems to have been a surviving member of that class, and was obviously not in need of a hive mind to operate. But to expect them to be able to "integrate" or fight back is missing the point that these aliens were clearly lacking in certain areas and just did not fit where they were, therefore what you get is chaos.

The humans misinterpreted and got so much wrong about the aliens, that I did wonder if the notion that the survivors were 'worker class drones' was accurate. :)
I also missed a few scenes where Wicus learned the aliens name, and most of the protagonists initial illness. I know he began with a burn then vomiting then the hunger, but I pieced that together from listening, I didn't get to read much of what Christopher Johnson said to him right out of the gate. Do you remember?

 

[Beau]

I also missed a few scenes where Wicus learned the aliens name, and most of the protagonists initial illness. I know he began with a burn then vomiting then the hunger, but I pieced that together from listening, I didn't get to read much of what Christopher Johnson said to him right out of the gate. Do you remember?

Not sure, but I'll give it a go. Remember that Wikus first meets CJ when he goes to evict him. That's when he is poisoned by the fuel. He leaves, and then when his hand starts to change, he escapes MNU and flees to D9 where he accidentally hides in CJ's house. Then CJ realizes what Wikus had done and tells him that the only way to change back into human was to get the fuel and fly to the mother ship.

 

[Erna]

Still haven't seen it, but I was at friend's house last night and there was a bunch of people who attended the premier this week. It was interesting for me to listen to their impressions of it after I have read the diverse impressions on this thread. They said the movie has lots of local speak and local symbolism, which will go over an international audience's head, to name an example, the "one bullet, one prawn" line which was derived from the "one settler, one bullet" line.

Lots of swearing in Afrikaans as well, like 'bliksem' and that 'd___' word... Afrikaans have influenced South African English a great deal, with lots of Afrikaans words seamlessly adopted and commonly used in English, most prominently Afrikaans swear words and the use of the word 'lekker'.

I must say from this thread and their conversation I do get the impression that this movie portrayed all the typicalness of apartheid, inserting aliens in the place of blacks, to portray an inherent feature of human nature (no matter what race, colour or creed). The usage of black people in the movie uttering racist comments typically used by whites in the apartheid era is evident of this.

Even the promotional items is reminiscent of the apartheid era 'whites only' signage at beaches, parks, benches, restaurants etc.

One poster complained about the demonization of Nigerians with the portrayal of a Nigerian warlord. Considering the fact that the director is South African, he just used another common fixture of South African society. Nigerians are notorious in South Africa for their criminal activity, drug traffiking, people trafficking, organised crime syndicates etc.

The recent xenophobic attacks are just another example of the selfishness, racism, immorality, cruelty and lack of empathy inherent in people of all races and cultures. From the photographs in the newspapers, it was particularly disturbing to see all the laughing faces and obvious enjoyment and satisfaction in the crowd of onlookers when foreigners were set alight.

I also find it interesting that these people at the party were all so identified with the typical dusty Winter Joburg scenery and sunsets and apartheid imagery (of which some were real apartheid footage), that none of them mentioned the seemingly important role played by this MNU corporation.

On a lighter note, one lady did mention that she's glad that a spaceship first appeared over Joburg for a change, instead of New York...

 

[Turgon]

I just saw District 9 a few days, what a fantastic movie. It's great to read this thread in regards to the deeper or hidden (or not so-hidden meanings) in the movie. My friend and I thought that it was most definitely a take on prejudice and segragation and a very accurate representation of pathology in action. If you were to replace the aliens with people, District 9 is similar to one of the 'Shannty-towns' (Sp?) in South Africa. Realistically, they represent a group of people that have been quarantined from the general populace, been given scraps, so have reacted with violence, drug-abuse (catfood) and criminal activity.

SPOILER ALERT




MNU represented the Pathological Elite in their thinking and tactics. How the father-in-law is more than willing to chop up Vikus, his Son-in-Law for weapons and profit, and blatantly lie to his own daughter about the reasonings behind Vikus' disappearance.

The scene where they are forcing Vikus' to use the weapons to shoot targets, and then they pull out a Prawn, and his unwillingness to shoot a prawn who has done nothing to him. He even begs and pleads to shoot a pig instead. All the MNU cared about was weapons & money, which would bring them more power. What a chilling scene.

How at the beginning of the movie, they really do make the aliens seems very stupid, almost impossible to sympathize with (demonizing?), until as the movie progresses we get to know Charles Johnson and his son, and the real 'human' aspects of his character, wanting basic things like safety for his son, and to escape these harsh conditions he lives under. Something we can relate to.


As we were walking out of the theatre, the people behind us were talking about how weird D9 was as a movie, but we found that a funny comment, because we thought D9 was an accurate portrayal of what's happening in the world, and much more realistic than most movies.

 

[Erna]

[quote author=DanielS]
My friend and I thought that it was most definitely a take on prejudice and segragation and a very accurate representation of pathology in action.
[/quote]

_http://io9.com/5341120/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-district-9

District 9 was inspired by Neill Blomkamp's 6 minute short film Alive in Joburg. But what many people don't realize is that he created Alive In Joburg's footage of people being interviewed about aliens, by using real interviews.

Neill Blomkamp: "I was asking black South Africans about black Nigerians and Zimbabweans. That's actually where the idea came from that there are aliens living in South Africa, I asked "What do you feel about Zimbabwean Africans living here?" And those answers — they weren't actors, those are real answers..."

- They don't belong here
- They're spending so much money to keep them here when they could be spending it on other things. At least they're keeping them separate from us.
- They must just go. I don't know where they go. They must just go.

And the aliens in the movie are saying exactly what our illegal aliens are saying:

- We didn't mean to land here. He had no choice.
- How can we go anywhere?
- We mean you no harm.
- We just want to go home.

I think Neill Blomkamp is holding up a subtle mirror for someone. Whatever happened to Ubuntu?

 

[Cyre2067]

Spoilers below! Spoilers below!

Why weren't they integrated? How come their fuel causes genetic mutation of a very specific type? Why didn't the aliens ever use their weapons to defend themselves? How come one alien seems to have intelligence while the rest were rather dumb?

In the beginning, there were news snippets that showed the aliens being thrown out of integrated communities for the bad actions of a few, and forced into the area that became District 9.

Ah, I didn't recall that part. It just seems like the writers had to invent some reason that the aliens didn't integrate. Logically, if it were only a few 'bad apples' then those would be removed. I just find it hard to believe that none of the aliens would have been integrated, employed using their technology or know how by corporations who were interested. I guess I find the concept of 'dumb aliens' a little ass-backward.

For the second, the black liquid, all I can think of is their fuel was a synthesis of biological elements and their technology ran on it through a specific genetic marker, which was engineered to make more of itself if it touched organic tissue. That's a big sci fi guess. :) It would also be a good security measure in the instance the aliens found themselves in.

Sure, that works. :P

My complaint is that it wasn't explained and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I work in genetic research, so how any sort of genetic material could function as a fuel - at least in the way we think of it - is beyond my current level of comprehension.

As for why they didn't defend themselves...would you go to Wal-mart at 3 am and yank a stock boy off his job, starve him for a few weeks, then shove an M-16 in his hands and expect him to know what to do with it? There is no reason to think that every alien is going to have military training. I'm not even convinced that the 'weapons' that were found on the mother ship and after were really weapons at all. Some of it looked and behaved like drilling or mining equipment. Even the enviro suit looked like a kind of multipurpose gadget.

Using humans as a reference point, anyone of us can use a gun, or a power tool. They have an almost intuitive design, and we've seen them used at least once. The only explanation in this case would be that they never saw or used their own technology before - and imho, that doesn't make any sense. Sure you could conjecture reasons why - but that's the writer's job, not ours.

As to why the one alien was smart? I'm sure there were more than just him that managed to pull themselves together. He didn't find the rescue ship by himself. I'm sure he didn't gather the equipment alone either.

Exactly, but again this wasn't explained. Sure we heard people's conjecture about them 'loosing their leadership' - but that's all it was. So it's a big unknown, a hole in the plot. Erked me.

(If you were intelligent, and you were watching your people devolve into the madness of starvation, oppression, and endless violence, including being guinea pigs for weapons testing, would you let it be known you were smart? What about the glyph on his house? His clothes? I think it meant he was either a mechanic or a doctor or some kind of scientist/engineer. )

As to why the aliens appeared stupid, have you ever starved? The aliens loved cat food, and cat food is designed to be protein dense. It appeared they were starving all the time....they needed more protein dense food than they could get from just eating meat. As a consequence, they were in a state of persistent starvation. When the protagonist is changing...he's starving all the time too. When you reach that point, that you're so hungry you'll do anything to eat, so much for thinking. This has been done to people of all nationalities for centuries.

Sure, that's logical. Or perhaps their nervous systems required a nutrient that wasn't available on earth, but again this is all conjecture that we're doing. That's not really why I see a movie, I feel like D9 was more like half a movie, with the other half being filled in by guesswork.

Why weren't they integrated? How come their fuel causes genetic mutation of a very specific type? Why didn't the aliens ever use their weapons to defend themselves? How come one alien seems to have intelligence while the rest were rather dumb?

In the beginning, there were news snippets that showed the aliens being thrown out of integrated communities for the bad actions of a few, and forced into the area that became District 9.

Not only that, but also in the beginning it is clearly stated that most if not all of the surviving aliens were of the "worker class" and more like drones. All of the higher caste aliens had perished. Christopher Johnson seems to have been a surviving member of that class, and was obviously not in need of a hive mind to operate. But to expect them to be able to "integrate" or fight back is missing the point that these aliens were clearly lacking in certain areas and just did not fit where they were, therefore what you get is chaos.

As I recall that was conjecture on the part of the humans in the movie, no? We don't know if they had a hive mind, they certainly seemed like individuals, esp CJ. If he was of that higher caste why couldn't he organize his brethren? There's just a lot of plot holes here, and we as viewers are asked to accept or generate conjecture to fill them in. I feel like the writers were lazy, they wanted to make social commentary, and the alien thing was just a hook to get people to see it. But I feel like it could have been more effective if the plot was a bit more engaging. Everyone I know who saw the film, left thinking it was 'weird' or 'dumb' and I can empathize with them because the film itself feels rather incomplete.

A sequel seems bloody likely imho, but given the initial reaction to the film itself I don't know if it will happen. And even if it did, I get the feeling some questions will be answered, but even more left unexplained, it's like Lost - and that's the reason I despised that show.

 

[Gimpy]

Below be spoilers in comments.........

Gimpy said:
For the second, the black liquid, all I can think of is their fuel was a synthesis of biological elements and their technology ran on it through a specific genetic marker, which was engineered to make more of itself if it touched organic tissue. That's a big sci fi guess. Smiley It would also be a good security measure in the instance the aliens found themselves in.

Puck said:
Sure, that works. Tongue

My complaint is that it wasn't explained and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I work in genetic research, so how any sort of genetic material could function as a fuel - at least in the way we think of it - is beyond my current level of comprehension.

Wow. That's interesting. ;) Don't you like to think about things? I mean, without having every variable given to you? Isn't that what research is about?
Being a writer as a hobby, I really like movies and stories that require me to think and figure things out, and District 9 was good that way...it didn't just hand me answers, I had to pay attention and look for images, themes, and ideas everywhere I could in the story.....and I didn't get to see the whole thing. :D

Using humans as a reference point, anyone of us can use a gun, or a power tool. They have an almost intuitive design, and we've seen them used at least once. The only explanation in this case would be that they never saw or used their own technology before - and imho, that doesn't make any sense. Sure you could conjecture reasons why - but that's the writer's job, not ours.

Would you pick up a chainsaw and start it up without knowing how to do so without sawing off your quadriceps? :P :D

That goes along with the thought that the 'weapons' may not have been military, but some sort of mining or special use tools. I wouldn't expect anyone to pick up a chainsaw or a pneumatic drill and start attacking anyone with it, would you? If someone was killing all my shipmates to find out how to use these 'chainsaws', and its pretty clear these crazy critters are just going to kill everyone they can with them, would you want to be the being who became their 'go to' trigger man? I think its funny people look at this movie and assume the aliens are all stupid, or the writers are lazy, when that expectation itself is just programming to expect everything to be spelled out and all stories be told neat and clean....and mindless. Any time you trance out, all kinds of stuff can be dumped into your head.

That's not really why I see a movie, I feel like D9 was more like half a movie, with the other half being filled in by guesswork.

Can I ask why you do see movies?

I love stories that are like this one....its not handed to me, I have to pay attention to everything to figure it out, and even when thinking it through a lot of my conclusions could be wrong. To see how close you get, its necessary to see more of the writers work. This is what is fun. Though I try to use this same attitude to other issues in my life, sometimes it doesn't translate as well. ;)

 

[Vulcan59]

Saw it a few days ago. I guess that the only way this movie would be less controversial was to portray aliens instead of humans in that role, OSIT.


Spoiler Alert ******** Spoiler Alert*************


Anyone noticed that there were a few like CJ who had some sort of a shirt on while the other aliens in D9 had none? Was that how elites were differentiated from the commoners?

 

[Gimpy]

Saw it a few days ago. I guess that the only way this movie would be less controversial was to portray aliens instead of humans in that role, OSIT.


Spoiler Alert ******** Spoiler Alert*************


Anyone noticed that there were a few like CJ who had some sort of a shirt on while the other aliens in D9 had none? Was that how elites were differentiated from the commoners?

Or skilled people? Like machine operators, doctors, etc? :)

 

[Vulcan59]

Or skilled people? Like machine operators, doctors, etc? :)

Possibly. Well they could also have been portrayed taller or different color or perhaps with extra antennas or something else? Just curious.

 

[Gimpy]

Or skilled people? Like machine operators, doctors, etc? :)

Possibly. Well they could also have been portrayed taller or different color or perhaps with extra antennas or something else? Just curious.

Sure! It'll be fun to see if the writers do more with it. Everything I've mentioned could be wrong, even the guesses that make sense. And weren't the majority of the 'worker class' painting themselves different colors? And weren't they taller than CJ? And didn't some aliens only wear a kind of underwear, and others different kinds of shirts? Maybe its all there and we aren't seeing it for what it is, kind of like the current situation with all the psychos running things: a mess. ;)

 

[Beau]

My complaint is that it wasn't explained and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I work in genetic research, so how any sort of genetic material could function as a fuel - at least in the way we think of it - is beyond my current level of comprehension.

Wow. That's interesting. ;) Don't you like to think about things? I mean, without having every variable given to you? Isn't that what research is about?
Being a writer as a hobby, I really like movies and stories that require me to think and figure things out, and District 9 was good that way...it didn't just hand me answers, I had to pay attention and look for images, themes, and ideas everywhere I could in the story.....and I didn't get to see the whole thing. :D

Yeah, that's pretty much my take on it as well. I don't like it when we are fed answers by the writers. I want stuff to be left to the imagination and let the viewer come up with their own interpretation on "what it all meant". That's why I love Lost as well. I actually don't like it when we have all the answers given to us. People complain about all these holes in the plot, but it was clear to me that was intentional. Blomkamp even stated in an interview he was intentionally leaving things open to interpretation. I don't need every detail handed to me on a platter. That's pretty much lazy entertainment IMO.

 

[Beau]

Ah, I didn't recall that part. It just seems like the writers had to invent some reason that the aliens didn't integrate. Logically, if it were only a few 'bad apples' then those would be removed. I just find it hard to believe that none of the aliens would have been integrated, employed using their technology or know how by corporations who were interested. I guess I find the concept of 'dumb aliens' a little ass-backward.

I think it's a bit naive to ask why they didn't integrate. Did the North Vietnamese integrate well with the South? Does any foreign language speaking group integrate well with a native population when they are looked down upon and seen as an anvil around the neck of society? Look at all the issues with immigration in the US. Other countries as well. People just don't want foreigners coming in and using their natural resources and taking away jobs from locals. Their is no reason to think every alien species, especially one created within a fictional universe, would be any more intelligent than a human is, and look at all the examples from our world of exactly what occurred in the movie happening. I don't think it's all that illogical.

My complaint is that it wasn't explained and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I work in genetic research, so how any sort of genetic material could function as a fuel - at least in the way we think of it - is beyond my current level of comprehension.

I think on that point you need to suspend belief and allow yourself to be lifted into an alternate universe. I've read some interesting theories on the fuel liquid. I think that's a lot more interesting than just being told what everything means/is by the creators.

Using humans as a reference point, anyone of us can use a gun, or a power tool. They have an almost intuitive design, and we've seen them used at least once. The only explanation in this case would be that they never saw or used their own technology before - and imho, that doesn't make any sense. Sure you could conjecture reasons why - but that's the writer's job, not ours.

Not if the writer wishes to leave some things up to the viewer to come to conclusions. I personally see that as a quality that more people should possess in mass media today.

Exactly, but again this wasn't explained. Sure we heard people's conjecture about them 'loosing their leadership' - but that's all it was. So it's a big unknown, a hole in the plot. Erked me.

If you can believe that their lack of leadership is what has caused them to act a bit more "barbaric", on top of the fact that they are living in slums, very poor and malnourished, their behavior shouldn't be all that much of a problem. You heard the bits from the expert on TV explaining why they seem so direction-less. Who's to say that isn't part of the overall mythology? It made sense to me.

Sure, that's logical. Or perhaps their nervous systems required a nutrient that wasn't available on earth, but again this is all conjecture that we're doing. That's not really why I see a movie, I feel like D9 was more like half a movie, with the other half being filled in by guesswork.

Well, I happen to love movies that don't spoonfeed me everything. It shows that the creators actually respect people and want them to come to their own understanding of what it all meant. Their are plenty of other filmmakers who do this as well, David Lynch comes to mind. It seems people like that tend to be really polarizing.

A sequel seems bloody likely imho, but given the initial reaction to the film itself I don't know if it will happen. And even if it did, I get the feeling some questions will be answered, but even more left unexplained, it's like Lost - and that's the reason I despised that show.

I guess you need to ask yourself why you feel the need to be given all the answers, especially in the arena of science fiction which tends to create alternate universes and where the creations are just as metaphoric as they are literal. It's not something to be looked down upon though. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[go2]

I just saw D9 and expect CJ and son to be back in three years to a theatre near you. The movie is great on many levels. Imagine living in Fallujah, Sadr City, Gaza, District 6, or Compton CA for that matter with helicopter gunships and psychopathic gunman hunting you. Body part trafficking is timely too. D9 brings the third world to life for those of us fortunate enough to be aliens in an air conditioned theater. We are all aliens; we just don’t know it yet.

Bollenkamp brings Wikus to life as the chimeric type who staffs back offices of Wackenhut, Halliburton, Homeland Security, and the Department of Human Services. The Battalion 1 gunmen are perfect replicas of the Blackwater death squads roaming the earth on behalf of the PTB. The ponerized law enforcement bureaucrat, Wikus, gets a fast education in the real world when his clip board is exchanged for a high tech killing machine.

The mixed genres and open ended narrative engaged my mind and the violent action triggers the emotional center, making for a satisfying and serious film. I seldom watch films, but after reading this thread I decided to spend the time and money to check it out. Thanks to “E” for providing the Joburg background. It added a depth and understanding of Bollenkamp and District 9.

The news coverage on the unfolding “terrorist attack” and Wikus’s demonization for “sex with aliens” was a subtle exposure of media manipulation that might actually plant some seeds in the viewers who have yet to discover we live in a world of lies and illusions. The Matrix, Vendetta, and District 9 are my favorite teaching movies, tonight. ;)