District 9
2009 • Rated R
Directed by Neil Blomkamp

When I’m on a business trip I usually try and take along a “guy” movie to watch on my laptop or catch a new release at the theater. I do this because with two pre-teen kids and a wife with a low tolerance for aliens, bloody battles or orcs, fantasy movies like Braveheart just don’t make the Family Movie Night cut at our house. On my trips I’ve seen the likes of Tropic Thunder, Apocalypto and The Shooter but I’ve never seen anything like District 9.

Before I share my thoughts on the movie let me state that this is my first post on viaRenovo. In light of that let me share a few assumptions about how I approach film, art and pop culture. First, I must agree with C.S. Lewis who writes, “The first demand any work of art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way. (There is no good asking first whether the work before you deserves such a surrender, for until you have surrended you cannot possibly find out.) ~An Experiment in Criticism.

Lewis is not suggesting that we leave our minds at the box office but rather, just the opposite, that we engage our whole selves with the piece of art in order to fully understand and critique it. We cannot critique though if we do not lay down our assumptions. In other words, give a movie a chance to speak to you before you speak against it.

Second, I approach film with a strong belief in General Revelation. This means that God regularly speaks transforming truth through not only sunrises and grand ocean views, but also movies, books and other pieces of art produced by those who do not acknowledge him as God. District 9 is an example of this.

Finally, we must engage film (and other forms of art) with a discerning mind. We can simply watch as a consumer, mindlessly watching the images pass before our eyes, but faithfulness to a Biblical worldview requires that we watch and process what we see actively, asking questions of the film such as “Is this true? How does this contribute to our culture? How is my own experience impacted by this film? What does this film teach about God? Does this film agree with a Biblical worldview?” There is more to say on this but for now let’s apply this to the movie at hand, District 9.

I began by saying that I’d never seen anything like it and I’ve realized what made this film so unique was it’s blend of science fiction grounded in a gritty real world setting. From the opening scenes the History Channel/documentary style of the film tells you that though we are dealing with aliens no one seems shocked by their presence . In fact, the aliens have been stranded here for 28 years and, in a plot point which turns every alien movie I can recall on it’s head, the aliens have not come to invade, but rather seem to have stalled out over Johannesburg, South Africa much like the car that runs out of gas happens to roll into a corner gas station.

Even more startling (from the moviegoers perspective) is how everyone in the movie is focused not on the astounding contact with alien life forms but rather on the “alien problem” and dealing with the everyday problems of over-population, poverty, segregation and “human rights.” So rather than a fantasy film we now have a story that gives “race relations” a whole new meaning.

Enter Wikus Van De Merwe, a middle manager thrust into leadership with MNU, a corporation tasked with the management and policing of District 9, a slum where the marginalized aliens now live. He is a bumbling, naive leader that I’ve heard compared to Michael Scott, Steve Carrell’s character on The Office. His mix of ineptitude and forced bravado lead to circumstances that will forever change race relations. The remainder of the film then turns more action/adventure than social commentary but the viewer has already bought into the world of District 9 and the “humanness” of the aliens which is critical for us to care what happens to the characters.

What happens from there I will leave to you and your movie going experience but several things stand out to me as I think about this film from a Christian worldview.

First, I’m struck by the artistry involved in getting us to believe in this story. The documentary style film, the acceptance of the main characters of the aliens as a part of everyday life and the story revolving not around invasion but the all-too-familiar issue of prejudice and race relations work so well that by the end of the first act we’ve begun to care about the aliens despite the fact that look like giant crawdads (and are derogatively called “prawns”).

Second, this film asks a deeply theological question about the nature of humanity. Though the issue is seemingly pushed to the background of the movie in that it is never discussed by the main characters, the question of “human rights” is woven throughout the films narrative in such a way that only discerning viewers will pick it up. While protest groups are shown in news footage you have to consciously connect the fact that the “human rights” being asked for are not for humans at all, but for the aliens. This begs the question, “what does is mean to to human?” Is the filmmaker joining the ranks of PETA in an attempt to convince us that all animals should have the same rights as humans or is he inviting us to think more deeply about how we view others who are different from us? The fact that the movie takes place in South Africa, the home of apartheid, leads me to favor the latter interpretation.

In fact, I think director Neil Blomkamp doesn’t give ask the question, but answers it, not through dialogue but through the surprising transformation of Wikus Van de Merwe. From a biblical standpoint, being human is reflecting God’s image as we love mercy, do justly and walk humbly with God. The main alien character, ironically given the rather common human name Christopher Johnson, is the only character in the film who seems to have the “human” capacities of empathy, hope and integrity. Humanity as reflected in the film is failing miserably, at least until Van de Merwe actually engages Christopher not as a problem, but as a person and only through the transformation of Wikus do we gain any sense of hope that humans may develop these traits as well. That this redemption takes place is not unique in that many films, from Disney’s Camp Rock, to Star Wars, feature the “saving” of a main character. What makes District 9 special is how the surprising and unexpected redemption takes place.

There is so much more to discuss, but until this film is released on DVD I will resist the urge to write any spoilers about the rest of the plot. Let me end by saying this, those wanting clear answers about the origin of the aliens and whether or not there will be a clean resolution to the “alien problem” will be disappointed. This film is as much about provoking us to confront our assumptions as it is a science fiction action film, but if you enter the theater with eyes wide open and look for themes of humanity, dignity, incarnation and redemption you might find yourself as pleasantly surprised by the unusual and subversive storytelling of District 9 as I was.

~ Travis Stewart