Film File - District 9

Science fiction with political undertones is the intriguing premise of 'District 9', directed by South African Neill Blomkamp. Adapted from 'Alive In Joburg', a 2005 short film also directed by Blomkamp relating to the apartheid system which flourished in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, the title derives from District Six, a former 'whites only' enclave in Cape Town from which thousands of blacks had been forcibly removed. Opening in a documentary style of multiple interviews to sketch the background, we learn that, 20 years previously, an alien spaceship appeared over Johannesburg, hovering for months without making contact. Eventually taking the initiative and boarding the ship, the South African military discover a large group of apparently starving alien creatures with no visible leader. The generally docile extraterrestrials, christened 'prawns' due to their crustacean similarities, are housed in a makeshift government compound - little more than a slum, designated District 9. As the years pass, the area becomes a no-go zone with a thriving black market where weapons, drugs and prostitution are bartered under the control of a disabled Nigerian warlord, Mumbo. Set in 2010, the plight of the aliens has now become a political hot potato with the government outsourcing their control to Multi-National United, a private company with little regard for the aliens' welfare other than their advanced military weaponry - which, due to biological differences, prove unworkable to humans. An MNU administrator promoted through nepotism beyond his capabilities, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), is given the task of relocating the now large population of 1.8 million aliens to a new District 10 camp many miles removed from Johannesburg. During this process, van der Merwe handles an alien device during a house search which squirts a dark liquid into his face and renders him hospitalised. Shortly after, his arm transforms into an alien claw - and he is immediately quarantined as scientists begin to submit him to experiments. Given that he has now mutated into part-alien, his newly acquired DNA allows him to use their weapon technology - a valued prize for the MNU security police. Opting to dissect him without anaesthetic to better harvest his organs, van der Merwe is forced to make a daring escape and takes off, pursued by his former comrades. Blokamp's film, produced by 'Lord of the Rings' maestro Peter Jackson, is packed with parallels - not least of which are some smart swipes at the apartheid system and its usage today. Unlike the alien invasions of 'Independence Day' or 'War Of The Worlds', these aliens bring not fear from the general population but derision - a kind of 'dole spongers' attitude from certain racist sections of the population, familiar in a slight sense to the influx of non-nationals into EU countries over the past few years. Housed in a shantytown that's a ringer for Soweto or any of the migrant cities springing up on the edges of Europe where the 'pests' are kept in by barbed wire and private police forces, the well-named Department of Alien Affairs maintain the visitors' underclass categorisation as they attempt a massive relocation to far distant 'facilities' - the clearing of the Warsaw ghetto in 'Schindler's List' comes immediately to mind. But rather than a bleak portrait of cynical attitudes, this movie becomes a hard-hitting piece of sci-fi entertainment with a moralistic wallop that seeps from every scene. Along with the main plotline of alien resistance, this is also an action-chase movie, a crime thriller, and even a touching love story, all set against the dusty landscape of a desert slum. With a largely unknown cast, and some obvious low budget limitations, Blokamp has fashioned an enjoyable thriller with many a subtle dig at humanity's attitude to the unknown outsider - and the whirlwind of social change that such trenchant positions will give rise to. 'District 9' is a science fiction thriller gushing with modern parallels - one of which is the private security industry and an agency which makes Blackwater look like Disneyland security. A wonderful film that will remain with you long after the credits have rolled.