The Analysis Of Main Idea Of The Film District 9
District 9 is a section of South Africa that has been quarantined as a refugee camp for the aliens who’ve been stranded for the last 20 years. We are able to get an inside look at the district and find it horrifying. War lords are taking advantage of the aliens for their weapons technology, interspecies prostitution, violence and slum like living situations are what’s being revealed. This analysis of this film points to the fact that there are refugee camps set up all over the world for people who are attempting to escape the horrors of their home states. What occurs in this film shows that there many people in this world that are marginalized in the social sphere of society.
The film District 9 is about a colony of alien refugees forced by humans to live in a South African slum. This is an example of social satire by presenting a critique of the injustice with which we treat those who are different from us. Three categories that are identified on the wheel that were used as reasons to marginalize the aliens: RACE: geographical location, thinking styles, and functional speciality. The film substitutes a similar worldwide circumstance with secluded beasts, all supported with dramatic emotional conflict. There's basically no need for clarifying – the aliens appear dangerous yet serve the part of any refugee camp survivors or politically-sanctioned racial segregation, with an absence of food and correspondence, pitiable isolation, destitution, children running about, and general confusion. It's particularly powerful for American crowds, since Johannesburg is a foreigner. Very hurtful terms, bigotry, and purposely lead to abuse – for this situation, the antagonizing MNU corporation is both the second biggest weapons producer and responsible for outsider connections. No big surprise the 'prawns' are simpler to sympathize with. Yet, the underlying antagonism, biases, and treachery turn to chances at reclamation, escape, and eventually retribution.
District 9 does have a heavy message, but to whom does it speak? Throughout the film their were many recurring thoughts: Will people not native to this country comprehend what going on? Some of the references and jokes made would only be humorous to someone who resided in the area during the years of Apartheid. To some knowledge the movie is successful due to it working on two different levels: as the international audience can enjoy it as a simple sci-fi thriller , while at the same time there is a deeper meaning, but only accessible only to whom shares the filmmakers cultural and political view of the reference made.
Rather, what is happening here is something altogether more significant and ambitious: the metaphors and tropes of science fiction are being used to engage rather more deeply and disconcertingly with the nature of racism itself – with the way that racist belief systems and talk manages the fearful, hated, desired and etc. This is the core of the film. From multiple points of view the most upsetting and disrupting part of the film is simply the interpretation of the outsiders, who seem like nothing to such an extent as colossal, semi human insects.
One of the many questions that presents itself is whether and what ethical position the humans should take vis-a-vis the aliens. Given that they have space travel, they are clearly an advanced race of sentient beings. From a common sense perspective, I would think we would consider them as 'ethical equals' or at least acknowledge some kind of responsibility to treat them as we would other human beings (as opposed to insects or animals). And I suppose this means that we would expect the same of them.
The film further complicates the discussion by having humans only interacting with the 'worker' types from the alien race, who are more insect/animalistic and do not demonstrate the necessary cognitive function and awareness to be considered 'equals'. Beyond meeting criteria for ethical status, the aliens also really aren't able to enter into a 'social contract' with us. So we have a sense that we might have an ethical obligation to the aliens really only by inference to the parts of their race that must have been capable of building the space ship, but the actual aliens we are dealing don't have that capability and don't appear to be able to breed or develop into it.
District 9 pushes reflection on the idea of 'inalienable’ or 'human' or 'natural' rights. And keeping in mind that there is a reasonable social message, I think the film exquisitely challenges our accepted human-centric ideas of moral organization and philosophical defenses for moral positions dependent on levelheadedness or awareness.
