+++ Opinion +++
Dirty, creaky, and incredibly violent, District 9 is exceptionally done. And yet the film, produced by “The Lord of the Rings” genius Peter Jackson, also delivers plenty of epic images. The scenario, created by the South African director and author Neill Blomkamp, seems absurd at times. It also has a main character who is anything but a typical movie hero. Nevertheless, all of this is not only original and really seems like it was taken from real life for long stretches, but is also emotionally damn gripping.
Extremely layered, District 9 is one of the most immersive cinematic works I’ve ever seen. At first glance, of course, it offers sci-fi and alien action with a lot of ruckus. In this context, however, there are always elements from comedy, war, horror, gangster and buddy films as well as social dramas, political parables and survival thrillers to be experienced, all of which were integrated harmoniously and to serve the story.
A truly wild ride, which for me, even 13 years after its premiere and despite having been enjoyed many times over, has lost none of its fascination, its fun factor and its ability to provide serious food for thought. Thanks to this sci-fi gem, I also met a new actor: Sharlto Copley. With his furious performance, the South African was able to play his place on my list of favourites, which is admittedly quite long.
The science fiction actioner is currently included in the Netflix subscriptionbut can of course also be obtained as Blu-ray, DVD or video-on-demand from other providers:
» “District 9” on Amazon Prime Video*
A gigantic alien spaceship hovers over Johannesburg. But after nothing moves for a while, people gain access to the flying object and lock the rather neglected aliens inside in a slum-like ghetto called District 9. Soon all sorts of criminal subjects are up to mischief there and crime takes over . Therefore, the aliens are now to be resettled in a new facility outside of the city.
The naïve desk stallion Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is given the task of directing this venture, which is accompanied by chaos and outbreaks of violence. He is supported by heavily armed, trigger-happy and racist mercenaries. During a scuffle, Wikus comes into contact with a mysterious substance that alters his DNA, causing his arm to mutate first. Suddenly he is able to use it to fire alien weapons that humans cannot otherwise use. The authorities then want to make Wikus a guinea pig. But he manages to escape – and of all things in the direction of District 9.
The very beginning captivates me every time. It’s clever and unique in a film this big. Because it’s damn brave to make “District 9” look like a cheap TV report at first. Based on “archive pictures” and “expert” interviews, the actually quite crazy scenario comes across as surprisingly authentic thanks to this trick. Everything we need to know at the beginning is conveyed in an absolutely efficient manner using the completely realistic-looking scenes shot with typical TV documentary equipment. We are immediately emotionally involved, get to know the protagonist up close, find out within a few moments what makes him tick and what it’s all about on a large scale.
With this simple and innovative staging trick, Blomkamp saves himself (and above all us!) a clumsy explanatory prologue or even an eternally long written introduction à la “Star Wars“. Instead, thanks to Copley’s clumsy, clumsy character and hectic attempts at organization, he not only brings us up to speed on the complex things, but also makes us laugh a little.
The whole thing is actually anything but fun. After all, at the time of shooting, just over a decade had passed since the apartheid policy and the associated systematic oppression, exclusion and disenfranchisement of large parts of the population in the country of production had been officially abolished. But in your head, simply replace the term “shrimp” for the aliens with words like “blacks” or maybe even “jews” in the dialogues and you’ll quickly notice how pointedly the whole thing is written.
Sharlto Copley (“Maleficent”) steps into the limelight with a performative tour de force.
Blomkamp’s style of visual realization is another decisive factor for the success and the emotional effect of his film on the audience. Sure, with just under 30 million dollars, the budget for a project of this kind was not particularly high. But it also made perfect sense not to present us with glossy science fiction à la “Star Trek” or “Dune“, but to present somewhat grainy, sometimes quite shaky and chaotic images with fast, hard cuts, often shot with hand-held cameras.
Staying connected to this world – no matter how crazy and brutal it may be – is much easier for viewers with this kind of realistic visuals. The same applies to the identification with the main character, who surprisingly acquires more and more human traits the more she approaches the aliens – both physically and genetically, but also ideally.
With the highly budgeted Hollywood debut “Elysium” and “Chappie”, which was shot again in South Africa, Neill Blomkamp subsequently delivered a few more quite interesting titles. The quality, originality and emotional punch of “District 9” has not yet been achieved again.
The director’s latest work, the horror film “Demonic”, was even a real disappointment. But maybe the man will at some point, with the sequel “District 10”, which has been announced again and again for ages but not yet realized, come back to the top form of 2009. Until then (and even if it never happens), I’m sure I’ll treat myself to “District 9” a number of times.
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