Cardon - District 9

The story of District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp, shows significant correlation between the historical genocides of the Jewish population during Nazi Germany and that of the African Apartheid. It takes a unique approach on the issue by incorporating a completely distinct species from another planet juxtaposed with the already conflicted human race. The alien spacecraft lands over Johannesburg in South Africa, filled with the emaciated foreign population. The government sets up a camp for the “prawns”, a derogatory name in reference to their unattractive shell appearance. They fabricated the idea of their threat to humanity as a reason for their isolation. This is much like the rationality for the concentration camps developed for the Jewish. We see how the aspect of business and power comes into play as the military sees the value in the aliens advanced weaponry. They want to extract this intelligence by any means whatsoever, regardless of the cruel torture inflicted on the prawns. This is similar to the experiments and persecution the Jewish faced since they too were seen as less than human.

Soon the camp turns into an overcrowded slum in which the prawns are forced to reside in squalor. The government makes a new agenda to move the prawns into a new location, designated District 10, under the pretense that it will be in the best interest of prawns. The task of organizing this façade to make the prawns appear willing is assigned to an official named Wikus van de Merwe. In this way, it will seem like a more humane and lawful solution to the issue of how to handle treatment of the Prawns. Wikus’s character comes off as somewhat frivolous and unaware of the true nature of the plight of the Prawns as well as the consequences of his intended actions. He soon finds himself relying on one of the members of the group after being infected with an unknown substance. As his is DNA slowly starts mutating him into the creature he once looked down upon, he begins to find himself in the midst of an awakening upon which he discovers their interrelatedness. His role takes on a similarity to that of Schindler and Clive Owen’s character in Bent, making the transformation from aversion into compassion and even identification with the Stranger or other. They as well as Don Cheadle’s character use their leadership roles as means of bringing salvation to the group they once worked to eliminate. Schindler’s attitude was apathetic at first and was just happy to have the Jews in his factories to make money. After time and interaction with the Jews, Schindler’s attitude changes and he realizes he needs to help/aid in their survival. We even see this compassion in little Bruno from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Even though Bruno wasn’t aware of the immensity of his friend’s situation and his father’s role in it, he was able to empathize with his friend because he “lost” his father. Some of the characters we have viewed this semester were forced into understanding the stranger’s position and others came to the understanding on their own. The important thing is that they came to the realization. The route to the realization is important and significant but the ultimate goal is being able to understand someone else’s suffering.