The movie that got me interested in the idea of film as an artform

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2020)

You'd be hard-pressed to find anybody who doesn't enjoy the act of watching movies for their entertainment value. For over a century now people have been drawn to the escapist qualities of film- it is a medium that can transport a person to a different world for two or so hours, and allow them an opportunity to experience something different to the tedium of their everyday lives.
However, films can of course be so much more than simple pieces of entertainment. A film can make an audience think about particular issues, ponder various themes, provide knowledge about numerous topics, and even create profound emotional responses. As people mature, they come to realise this, and I believe almost everyone has at least one movie they watched as a child, or maybe in their teens, that really opened their eyes to film-making as an art-form and allowed them to see just how deep and thought-provoking the medium has the potential to be. For me personally, that film was District 9.
(SPOILERS AHEAD- you've been warned).
I saw District 9 at the cinemas when I was about 14 and a half; I was a simple teenager hoping to be entertained by a new science fiction/ action film. I went in expecting pure entertainment, and that's certainly what the film delivered- I personally find District 9 to be an absolutely riveting film. But it was more than just a "good time at the movies" to me; it was also something that opened my mind to the idea of films being a medium in which a director can make a statement.
And no, I'm not saying that the parallels between the oppression of the aliens in District 9 and the oppression of black Africans under the Apartheid is all that subtle or anything, but it's definitely there in the movie, and it's very cleverly implemented. And yes, it was the first time I ever realised by myself that a film I watched had a proper message. It was definitely unexpected, as I'd thought District 9 was going to a straight, pure action film, but the social commentary and the themes explored like racism, prejudice, and genocide really made me think and feel things I'd never felt and thought about during a movie before.
I think I should take some time to briefly gush about District 9 as a film though- it's an absolutely riveting science fiction film with convincing special effects, great performances from a largely unknown cast (Sharlto Copley, who played the main character Wikus is especially brilliant- I'd love to see him in a few more movies), a near-constant feeling of tension, great action scenes, over-the-top violence, a great mockumentary style in its first third, a great twist at the end of the first act, and a really emotional ending. In other words, it has many of the things that I look for in movies, and so for that reason I think it's absolutely outstanding when judged purely as a piece of film entertainment.
But as I said before, the movie made me really feel and think about things, and I found the film stuck in my mind for days after I watched it. I couldn't believe how sorry I felt for these oppressed and abused aliens until I realised that much of what happened to them in the film actually happened to numerous black Americans in South Africa during the dreadful years of the Apartheid, and it's this essential parallel that makes the movie so emotionally compelling and engaging. And yes, we've seen many stories about a white man joining forces with the side he was originally assigned to oppose- see Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas and Avatar to name just the most well-known ones- but physically turning the bigoted protagonist Wikus into an alien gradually as the film progressed was a genius move on the part of the filmmakers, as by becoming one of the beings he so ruthlessly oppressed and abused he can now come to understand the immense pain they feel, and it's his slow acceptance of the aliens that makes his heroic sacrifice at the film's end so poignant and emotional. It all kind of relates back to the noble message of To Kill a Mockingbird about having to put yourself in someone else's shoes to see the world from their point of view and therefore to come to an understanding about who they are and why they act the way they do (apologies for the awful paraphrasing).
People are often quick to call Wikus a jerk, but honestly, I think he's an immensely compelling character who has a beautiful redemptive arc to his character. Yes, we may hate him while he callously allows a shed containing alien eggs to be burnt, and starts to make jokes about the dying eggs sounding like popcorn, but I think this makes it all the more meaningful and significant when he does change as a character.
I know there is more to be said about District 9, but I feel like bringing this ramble to a close now. I think it's a truly great movie, and I really do hope that in time it finds itself ranked up there among the other science fiction classics of all time like Metropolis, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. I think it's a great example of the genre at its best, as it discusses and provokes thought about a real world issue by depicting it in a science fiction setting full of aliens and awesome weaponry. Yet despite its science fiction elements, it still feels very much grounded in reality, and I think that is one of its greatest strengths. I think the fairly low budget (for sci-fi standards) for this film helped strengthen its very realistic aesthetic, as it forced the film-makers to not just rely on special effects to carry the movie, and probably also forced them to make use of real locations rather than just shooting the whole thing against a green screen in a sterile environment (kind of like what George Lucas regrettably did for his prequel trilogy).
I am also glad that we have not received word on a sequel yet- I think District 9 tells a perfectly contained story as it is, and although I acknowledge that a sequel could work, seeing as Christopher promised he would return to Earth at the very end of the film, I think District 9 is better off without one. An inferior sequel could easily tarnish the stellar reputation of the original, which in my opinion, is an essentially perfect story as is.