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Home , Alive in Joburg, Buddy film, District 9, District Six, Neill Blomkamp, Sharlto Copley

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South Africa’s segregated past: District past: segregated ’s that the outside of was an area the 1960s, in only’ ‘white declared government 60,000 non-white of over the removal forcing their homes. By employing from residents tell filmmaking to of documentary elements within from acknowledges its tale, diegesis that the boundaries between its own and be powerfully can fiction and the real blurred. meaningfully the film that employs District 9 is not the only of a particular and iconographies structures . Night statement a political make to 1968) A. Romero, the Living Dead (George of a powerful that makes is a zombie movie civil rights on the North American comment during the the country that rocked movement fiction films of 1960s and 1970s. Many science the Earth the 1950s – including The Day Stood eill Blomkamp’s 2009 science 2009 science Blomkamp’s eill captivated fiction blockbuster the world, around audiences Award Academy ­garnering four cle and the Real a nominations including Best Picture. While While Picture. nominations including Best fiction and action science horror, like these popular with viewers, undeniably are ‘serious’ considered rarely sorts of films are So what made consideration. Oscar enough for District 9 – a film about aliens and spaceships and effects Its spectacular – so different? - about an extra fiction story science familiar to it pleasurable make invasion terrestrial - xenopho on humanity’s but by focusing watch, of the aliens in contemporary bic treatment District 9 also functions as a , traumas real the very for allegory powerful of country the film’s South Africa, that faced . Even during and after production, with associations District 9 evokes the title N

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Ap From District Six to 9 Six District District From Still (Robert Wise, 1951), The War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, Wikus becomes ill after accidentally spilling an liquid 1953), Them! (Gordon Douglas, 1954) and Invasion of the Body on his skin, and MNU, with Piet’s support, conducts torturous Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956) – are broadly understood as experiments on him. Piet then releases false information to allegorical responses to the Cold War and the threat of nuclear Wikus’ wife and the public that the infection is a result of warfare that marked this period. Science-fiction-as-allegory human–alien sexual relations. With nowhere else to go, Wikus was also certainly not restricted to the ; the returns to District 9 and, overcoming his discriminatory famous Japanese monster film Godzilla (Gojira, Ishirô Honda, attitudes, rallies with the alien Christopher in an attempt to 1954) is almost impossible to watch without thinking of Japan’s cure his infection and to help Christopher and his son return involvement in World War II and the bombing of Hiroshima. to their ship. Through this story, District 9 utilises the generic District 9 clearly earns a place in this history of the politically elements of the to critique both apartheid minded science fiction film, but it also adopts elements from and post-apartheid South Africa. other genres and categories including horror, 1980s action movies (especially the ‘buddy’ film typified by Richard Donner’s 1987 classic ), conspiracy thrillers and even Japanese traditions. Its incorporation of other genres gives District 9 ample room to play with a range of thematic and stylistic elements that unite to create its final impact.

District 9 was co-written by Blomkamp and based on his 2005 . The film begins with Wikus Van De Merwe () from private military organisation Multinational United (MNU) being interviewed about the corporation’s relocation program in District 9. Wikus is grant-

ISSUE 61 SCREEN EDUCATION ed the task of leading the operation by his corrupt boss and father-in-law, Piet Smit (Louis Minnaar). With his colleagues, Wikus must evict the 1.8 million aliens from their shanty-like homes in District 9 to what he later describes as a ‘concentra- tion camp’ 200 miles outside Johannesburg. These aliens – derogatorily referred to by humans as ‘prawns’ – arrived in Johannesburg in 1982 in a large spaceship and, after being discovered onboard their craft in ill health, they were housed in the slum-like conditions of District 9.

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a group of which run organised of which run organised a group 1 crime in District 9, including an interspecies prostitution ring prostitution 9, including an interspecies crime in District effect (which has a drug-like food of cat supply and an illegal amassing Nigerians are Additionally, on the extraterrestrials). rituals and engage in folk a high quantity of alien weaponry the gain to eat alien body parts in an attempt they where a film about , it has been accused of itself of racism it has been accused a film about xenophobia, military contractors like the villainous Koobus Venter (David (David Koobus Venter the villainous like contractors military implies that name Multinational United James). The very minded commercially where place is not the only South Africa government regional replaced effectively have corporations at on the events is focused this story and while structures, - corpo it implies that such global Johannesburg, 9 in District abuses in metaphorical may be behind less dominance rate institutionalised MNU’s In addition to other parts of the world. unsound medi- the aliens, the ethically discrimination against in the bio-lab reinforce that Wikus discovers experiments cal identities that MNU typifies corporate the image of the global from journey Wikus’ cruel and corrupt. as nothing but greedy, a heroic of MNU to representative an unthinking, bigoted provides the company alien–human hybrid that fights against primary methods of critiquing globalisation. one of the film’s that District 9 has not been however, note, to It is important though it is Even text. as a progressive celebrated universally depiction of Nigerians, its in tion - apart on the country’s focused critique is not solely District 9’s its to has been given attention and much critical heid past, term is a hard globalisation While of globalisation. treatment of powerful issue the global the film examines pin down, to regional infringing upon differing multinational corporations MNU, company military The private and economies. cultures of in place stands of globalisation, which supports this view officials see government never we in the film: the government MNU officials and of see a lot but we soldiers, or government Allegory and discrimina Allegory of racial system the institutionalised to Apartheid refers between in South Africa enforced that was legally segregation origins historical 1948 and 1994, though the policy has clear issues face to continues period and the country this before the 9 mirror The aliens of District and equality. about race victims already Six, who were in District residents non-white at the hands of government- injustices flagrant of the most - relocat forcefully were they sanctioned discrimination before and cruelty of this the exposes ed. Blomkamp’s approach emphasised by the upbeat bureaucratic eviction, of those who ruining the lives to take Wikus and his colleagues due to conditions living in substandard already clearly are policies. unsound government ideologically critiquing globalisation. the company provides one of the film’s primary methods of methods primary one of the film’s provides the company to a heroic alien–human hybrid that fights against against fights alien–human hybrid that a heroic of MNU to Wikus’ journey from an unthinking, bigoted representative representative an unthinking, bigoted journey from Wikus’ aliens’ strength. Many Nigerians were outraged by this depic- District 9 is formally constructed. The movie opens like a docu- tion – particularly by what some viewed as its hypocritical mentary, with the nervous and geeky Wikus explaining in an placement in a film supposedly about xenophobia – and the interview the task that lies before him. News footage of the film was banned outright in Nigeria. Is District 9 itself a racist giant spaceship is shown regularly, and voice-overs and inter- film? Can the stereotypical depiction of Africans as savages views with a number of experts (including sociologists, aid and cannibals be dismissed because of the villainy of white workers, doctors and journalists) provide the background to characters like Koobus, or is it more complicated than that? Wikus’ and Christopher’s stories. The action-fuelled climax Does Blomkamp’s defence that he included these depictions employs supposedly real news footage that records the events to be realistic because ‘the bottom line is that there are huge as they unfold, with news cameras showing tanks as they roll Nigerian crime syndicates in Johannesburg’2 make the nega- through the area. Handheld footage is intercut regularly with tive portrayal of these characters in the film acceptable? surveillance footage and other kinds of audiovisual ‘evidence’. District 9 is by no means an easy film to dissect, and these are some of the many questions that students and teachers alike These stylistic elements add a documentary tone to the may wish to address when discussing the film. fictional story unfolding, contributing a degree of verisimilitude to the events. District 9 is not the only blockbuster film to use the approach, as demonstrated by the phe- Faking the real nomenal success of movies like The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, 1999) and Borat (Larry Charles, Blomkamp’s attempts at realism contrast sharply with the film’s 2006). Bill Nichols’ foundational work on documentary overtly fantastic conceit of space aliens living in Johannesburg, filmmaking provides a very useful basis for dissecting and but it is this juxtaposition of the real and the deliberately fictional understanding exactly how Blomkamp subverts features of that grants the film its allegorical force. A number of the film’s documentary filmmaking to tell his fictional story.3 For eviction scenes were shot in an area of during a period of example, the observational mode of documentary filmmaking

ISSUE 61 SCREEN EDUCATION violent conflicts between native South Africans and those born in – sometimes referred to as direct cinema or fly-on-the-wall other parts of Africa, and at the time of filming many residents of cinema – aims to capture the moment with as little involve- this area were themselves being forced out of their homes by the ment from the filmmaker as possible. In District 9, this is government. Even the word prawn has a very specific real-world employed when Christopher and Wikus fight with the MNU meaning: the Parktown prawn (Libanasidus vittatus) is a type of soldiers. The blood that splatters onto the camera lens implies insect that has plagued large parts of South Africa. the presence of on-the-scene reporters, adding immediacy and a sense of confusion and reality to the proceedings. District This desire for realism is demonstrated not only by association 9 also heavily utilises the interactive mode, which relies on with these real-world phenomena, but also in the way that interviews. These talking heads are often considered to be

140 ISSUE 61 SCREEN EDUCATION 141 discrimination film it most memorable and sympathetic depictions of the aliens memorable most Small additions anthropomorphised. to are when they occur at different shown aliens are example, – for their characters such as a pinwheel hat and a human clothes points wearing entities into and monstrous foreign – transform pink bra with each human. Their communications something very humans, such as when other also highlight their similarity to to ‘be polite’ in the film to his friend early tells Christopher of technological Wikus and the MNU officials. This merger of the via the humanising significance and narrative spectacle and his than when Christopher overt more aliens is nowhere spaceship in their cobbled-together the slums son rise from Johannes- above the giant ship that has hovered to return to symboli- and son are The father years. twenty the last for burg the nuclear the ‘mother’ ship, restoring with reunited cally corruption by the earthly unit that had been disrupted family embodied by MNU. of xenophobia depiction of Nigerians that the problematic argue many While anti-­ the progressive from it far makes powerfully doubt that District 9 is little be, there purports to and explore examine to fiction concept a science deploys This and present. past of South Africa’s elements various .

4 may aspects of District 9 and historical political the While it is interest, of critical sites immediate be the most appear to most the film’s In fact, spectacle. not dismiss to important in but rather allegory, lies not in its political appeal immediate depictions of aliens its exciting through it offers the pleasure designed by the New were aliens These spaceships. and with their work for famed group, Workshop Zealand WETA (2001–2003; the Rings trilogy of Jackson on the Lord Peter of special District 9). The spectacle Jackson also produced something than just much more in District 9 provides effects film’s and many of the however, watch, to viewers for exciting ctor w!’ fa The ‘Wo professional experts on a subject or witnesses to a story, and a story, to on a subject or witnesses experts professional with doctors interviews ’s in District 9 this mode is reflected and friends. family Wikus’ in addition to and other experts by these given and explanations That so many of the attitudes and of propaganda, the issue also raises wrong are experts documentary use Nichols’ may wish to teachers and students for truth is represented so-called how discuss modes to agendas in District 9. political certain embodied by MNU by embodied been disrupted by the earthly corruption of xenophobia of xenophobia corruption earthly the by been disrupted ‘mother’ ship, restoring the nuclear family unit that had had that unit family nuclear the restoring ship, ‘mother’ ith the with the reunited symbolically son are and The father allegorical force relies heavily upon the pleasures of its tech- 2 Andrew O’Hehir, ‘Is Apartheid Acceptable—For Giant Bugs’, nological spectacle, and if District 9 makes an impact upon its Salon, 12 August 2009, ‹http://www.salon.com/ viewers, the role of these pleasures cannot be undervalued. entertainment/movies/beyond_the_multiplex/feature/ Through its science fiction and mockumentary elements in 2009/08/12/blomkamp›, accessed 1 December 2010. particular, District 9 addresses a range of very real issues 3 Bill Nichols, ‘The Voice of Documentary’, in Bill Nichols facing South Africa today. That such a complex array of issues (ed.), Movies and Methods: An Anthology, vol. 1, California is allegorically presented in such an upbeat manner make it University Press, Berkeley, 1985, pp.258–273. an ideal text through which to explore the power of genre, 4 For a more accessible and updated reflection on Nichols’ style and meaning in cinema. documentary modes and how they apply to contemporary screen cultures more broadly, the following chapter Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is a film researcher based in is recommended: John Izod & Richard Kilborn, ‘The ­Melbourne. She speaks regularly on genre at the Australian Documentary’, in John Hill & Pamela Church (eds), The Centre for the Moving Image and her first book, Rape-Revenge Oxford Guide to Film Studies, Oxford University Press, 1998, Film: A Critical Study, is due to be released by McFarland pp.426–433. Publishers in the US in 2011.•

Endnotes

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ISSUE 61 SCREEN EDUCATION For differing views on this subject, see Nicole Stamp, ‘District 9 is Racist’, Racialicious.com, ‹http://www. racialicious.com/2009/08/18/district-9-is-racist -alternate-perspective/›, accessed 1 December 2010; Tola Onanuga, ‘Why District 9 Isn’t Racist Against Nigerians’, , 8 September 2009, ‹http://www.guardian.co. uk/film/filmblog/2009/sep/08/district-9-racism›, accessed 1 December 2010.

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