2009
Directed by Neill Blomkemp
Written by Neill Blomkemp and Terri Tatchell
Produced by Peter Jackson
TriStar Pictures
From Producer Peter Jackson and Director Neil Blomkemp comes District 9. The trailers may be a bit misleading. A portion of the footage used in the teasers is never seen in the film itself but despite that fact the rogue footage remains loyal to District 9's integrity.
The scene is set in Johannesburg, South Africa in the not-so-distant future. Over 20 years after an alien spacecraft arrived hovering over the city the area of slums known as Distrcit 9 contains the alien immigrants referred to as Prawns because apparently they look like shrimp if Rick Moranis started a seafood market. They are monitored and controlled by the MNU, a company only interested in making money off of what the aliens can offer at any expense. Filmed first in mockumentary style the film carries us from the past as it reels through what would be archive news footage of events leading up to the present. We are introduced to Wikus van der Merwe who is at first glance very unlikely to be the main character. After watching the first 20 minutes I half expected there not to be a main character but instead a sequence of conflict following conflict featuring a mosaic of different characters. The initial angle from which we observe Wikus, it creates the sense that he is a lamb for an imminent slaughter. The ominous interviews with his co-workers and rising action in the slums build to what would seem to be an early twist. Wikus' introduction doesn't help his case either. He comes off as a cross between Michael Scott from The Office and Leland Orser from ER. Nevertheless the story carries on with him on the front lines. As much as I enjoyed this movie, it's difficult to find the main character amiable. From the beginning you receive enough of an impression that lets you know exactly who Wikis is and you believe him to remain that way until he's killed or the movie ends. He is a man of self-preservation, or in this case species preservation. However it tricks you. Wikus does not start off as the protagonist, he becomes the protagonist after experiencing what is often known as a scapegoat's role. After his mutation and being subjected to experimentation and torture Wikus begins to reform and adapt to the hand that has been dealt to him (no pun intended). Maybe it's because I empathize more with the Prawns at first that it's harder to empathize with him. The way he is portrayed within the first half hour I didn't expect him to last to the end of the movie.
When I walked of the theater I realized that more than anything else this was a character study, one that I found particularly extraordinary. It concentrated on an average, timid, corky man faced with extreme circumstances and how he overcomes them. Eventually you realize that this is not the Prawn's story, this is Wikus' story. Hurray for you. Now watch as he persistently makes an ass of himself and burns nearly every bridge he has left. It's because of this that I find myself empathizing with Chris, the Prawn more than Wikus. Sorry, there's only so many times you can betray the friends that are trying to help you and completely embarrass yourself before you're two stoolies short of Nixon. It's interesting since a majority of the time you're watching a character that is detestable to a point until you draw closer to the climax. I wanted to like this character a lot more but I couldn't, he was still too much like his old self even once he was seeking refuge within District 9. Wikus' reminiscence of his wife helps soften that up for you I'm sure.
The cinematography remains subtle when the movie transitions itself between it's documentary and filmmaking POVs. District 9 is filmed as if it is structurally a mockumentary film however the camera remains on Wikus even after the cameramen have left. In it's delivery you often feel like your still watching a mockumentary film. The cinematography and the editing doesn't sporadically jump suddenly from a documentary look to traditional film angles and cuts. It remains consistent in maintaining its visual style and continuity. Unlike many films these days it actually compliments the digital look that filmmakers have been experimenting with. It's a digital film that is made to look digital in a very flattering manner. Digital is continually being considered a replacement for film and while it may satisfy their standards, much of that technology fails to meet mine. It's not there yet and film still reigns supreme when it comes to it's aesthetic and manipulability.
In the end, District 9 leaves us knowing that Wikus finally made the sacrifice we all wanted him to make, putting something bigger before himself or what he worked for. Even the actual mockumentary leaves us with a bittersweet epilogue. I'm uncertain as to whether they plan a sequel to this yet or whether they will leave it as it lies and I'm uncertain whether I'd prefer it either way
As far as the Oscars go, here is my official two cents: It's an admirable nomination for a film of it's kind and we rarely have the opportunity to experience a story like this especially within the Sci Fi genre. That being said, I still stand by my previous statement; being that I would not reward District 9 with Best Picture. I just find it too difficult to really admire the main character for his rather loathsome actions. I empathize with Wikus the same way I empathize with a rabid dog that has to be put down. Perhaps we were not meant to look at Wikus the same we we perceive every other main character but that still doesn't mean I like him. You can make the main character of your story Hitler and buffer him all you want, in the end he's still fucking Hitler. Not to say that Wikus is anti-semitist he's just anti-prawnist.
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