Set in a fictional reality where an extraterrestrial vessel has made an emergency landing above the South African city of Johannesburg, District 9 the film takes audiences into District 9, a heavily guarded slum meant to serve as something like a refugee camp for aliens on earth.
Using the Sci-Fi genre and the familiar backdrop of alien invasion films as a foundation for metaphor, District 9 is clear commentary on director Neil Blomkamp’s home country of South Africa’s history of apartheid and segregation as well as the concept of white supremacy in general.
Using the tropes of Sci-Fi to drive home the cruelty and inhumanity of segregation and ghettoizing populations, Blomkamp delivers an otherworldly stunner that works both as a traditional Sci-Fi film and as an effective and moving appeal for social justice.
The film centers on everyman Wilkus van de Merwe. Wilkus, a government operative tasked with relocating the Prawn extraterrestrials of the Johannesburg slum. Notably, Wilkus’s directives are not dissimilar from the many “relocation” operations undertaken by the United States government to remove Native American tribes from their own lands, military missions that often ended in genocide.
Whilst carrying out his relocation mission, Wilkus is exposed to a Prawn biochemical agent and begins transforming into one of the extraterrestrial beings he has been charged with relocating.
Why Audiences Loved District 9
Considering the film’s relatively modest budget of $30 million, Blomkamp pulls off some amazing cinematic feats, both visually and narratively. Visually, the film is full of stunning imagery with striking set pieces that bring this alternate reality Johannesburg to life.
Regarding the narrative, every plot point is well-paced and adds the appropriate amount of conflict. No moment is wasted, no conversation is without meaning with Blomkamp skillfully introducing audiences to a world of haves and have-nots in a way that reflects real-life social issues still present today.
Which was perhaps one of the biggest reasons that District 9 struck a chord with audiences back in 2009. Blomkamp’s depiction of fictional segregation in a fantasy world pushed audiences to reflect on real life events (apartheid in South Africa; slavery, segregation, and continued modern racial inequity in America) and connect emotionally with both fictional characters as well as real-life figures.
District 9
A Low Budget Film with a Big Message
Indeed, though it is a Sci-Fi stunner, District 9 is first and foremost a film about South Africa’s generational struggles with race and equality. To get audiences to make the connection between fiction and reality, Blomkamp builds an incredible narrative inspired by the injustice he likely witnessed firsthand. And it works beautifully.
Perhaps it works so well because Blomkamp asks audiences to first see the world as Wikus does–fed up with immigrant aliens who audiences are meant to see as dirty and sub-human. But then Blomkamp shifts perspective, putting audiences into the otherworldly shoes of the Prawns, a move that leads to audiences secretly hoping the Prawns actually do have plans to punish their hosts for such terrible treatment, though they likely don’t.
Will District 9 Ever Become District 10?
With a largely unknown yet captivating cast including Sharlto Copley as Wilkus, Jason Cope as Christopher Johnson, David James as Colonel Koobus, Vanessa Haywood as Tania Smit-van de Merwe (Wilkus’ wife), Eugene Wanangwa Khumbanyiwa as Obesandjo, and Louis Minaar as Piet Smit (Shalto’s father-in-law), District 9 surpassed all critical and box office expectations. The film quickly captivated American audiences, leaving everyone who saw it asking, hoping, begging for a District 10.
Yet Blomkamp has been tight-lipped over the years about plans for a sequel. Initially, Blomkamp dropped hints of a possible sequel during press junkets in the early 2010’s, but the director has been much more hush-hush in recent years. While Blomkamp won’t confirm sequel plans, he has never made an announcement about definitively walking away from the idea either.
Whether or not a sequel is made, District 9 will forever be remembered as a breakout box office hit that entertained audiences just as much as it forced them to confront a history of western colonization, slavery, segregation, and white supremacy. A powerful experience in theaters then, the film loses none of its effectiveness as a streaming throwback. In fact, in light of the shift politics began taking globally in 2016, one might say that District 9 is more relevant than ever.
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Find it streaming now on Amazon Prime and Sling.