tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717875266905215662.post9061069569486799380..comments2016-06-22T17:21:30.235-07:00Comments on The Cinema of Estrangement: The Prawn's Trail of TearsAl Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03251435271776441569noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-717875266905215662.post-13284739255682728892011-02-10T17:26:11.442-08:002011-02-10T17:26:11.442-08:00As Sarah mentioned, District 9 encompasses larger ...As Sarah mentioned, District 9 encompasses larger themes of racism and humanity. I think the writers were using the prawns to make a stark comparison of the ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality often produced by racial divides. This was also probably an exaggerated criticism of racial prejudices-we are portraying oozing trash-eating aliens as the group of outcasts, but is this really so different from our historical treatment of other humans? I found it particularly poignant when one Johannesburg resident is interviewed and says “if they were from a different country maybe I could see it-but they’re not even from our planet. I don’t know where they go, they just must go.” Similar attitudes are often widespread when unwelcome refugees are placed too close to home. <br /><br />There are countless examples to cite throughout history of ethnic cleansing, race wars, and overall brutality ignited from the color of our skin. Even though District 9 could be viewed as a more direct parallel to the apartheids in Africa where it is set, it paints a picture of tragedies that have befallen many groups of people caught between power struggles and displaced from their homes. I feel that the movie makes a point by having Christopher cast in with the rest of the prawns. Obviously there are varying degrees of intelligence in the aliens-as stated in the movie, perhaps the majority of the ship’s captains and engineers were killed in the crash and only less civilized grunt workers were left on Earth. Christopher is obviously not the latter, he even wears a semblance of tattered clothes, perhaps trying to appear more ‘human’ like and therefore more civilized in our eyes. He shows understanding of laws, shows ‘human’ emotion with his love for his son, and a compassion for his people. This is yet another instance where the movies is making a criticism of our faltering sense of humanity-this prawn has more of a moral conscience than the monsters mutilating his people in the name of progress, money, and power. Where does the line for ethical treatment get drawn? By gender, by age, by race, by species, by planet? This goes along with our class discussion about the alien genre often being a forum to express disagreement with our actions as a human race. <br /><br />As one more note, I thought the fact that Christopher’s advanced knowledge with alien technology was a point made deliberately by the writer as a social commentary on what we can overlook-and miss out on-when we assume that another group is inferior. If humans had taken the time to learn more about the prawns they would have discovered not all of them were dumbed down creatures but some were highly capable and emotional beings. The problem of the ship and its passengers being there could have even been solved had we taken the time and consideration to look beyond their grotesque outer shells to see what lay underneath. I found District 9 to be a sad movie and at times disturbing to watch-maybe because it reflects actions going on in the real world as I write this that hit a little too close to home.Kristen Marionnoreply@blogger.com