# District 9

District 9 is a 2009 science fiction film about an extraterrestrial race known as “prawns”, forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth after arriving as refugees, who suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology and begins to mutate into one of them.
    Directed by Neill Blomkamp. Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson.

## Wikus Van De Merwe

* [to Fundiswa, referring to the face mask] You don't need that, man. Only sissies wear that. You don't need that.
* [upon finding a large weapons cache] This is Christmas.
* [pointing at alien graffiti] This is basically a guy, and there's three humans here. Basically trying to make a warning, you know, he's saying "I killed three humans, watch out for me."
* [on the phone, after his call is aborted] I've been friends with you for fucking 19 years, man! [to an observer] Fuck off! What are you watching, man?! Fuck off!
* This whole's thing's under your shack? For 20 years, you've had this fuckin' thing hidden down here? This is, this is very illegal. I mean, this is... this is a fine — if they catch you with it.
* [to his wife] Honey, you have to believe me, I never had sex with a creature. I would never have sex with any fuckin' creature.
* Fucking prawns!
* [in the Exo-Suit] You wanna fucking play with me, Koobus?! You fucker!

## James Hope

* I mean, you can't say they don't look like that, that's what they look like, right? They look like prawns.

## MNU Instructional Voice

* [in MNU Humvee] When dealing with aliens, try to be polite, but firm. And always remember that a smile is cheaper than a bullet.

## Dialogue

    MNU Agent: MNU! We're serving eviction notices.
    Alien: What is "eviction"?
    Christopher Johnson's Son: How many moons does our planet have?
    Christopher Johnson: Seven.
    Christopher Johnson's Son: This planet only has one. I can't wait to see our planet again... it's bigger than this one, isn't it?
    Christopher Johnson: [turns off holographic atlas of what seems to be the Alien home planet] Enough.
    Christopher Johnson's Son: We go home now?
    Christopher Johnson: Not home, no. This is where we must go. [shows his son an MNU brochure outlining "Sanctuary Park Alien Relocation Camp" aka District 10] See that tent there? That might be ours.
    Christopher Johnson's Son: I want to go home!
    Christopher Johnson: We can't go home. Not anymore.
    Christopher Johnson's Son: Fuel goes in here!
    Christopher Johnson: That's enough! QUIET!
    Christopher Johnson's Son: ...then we fly away.
    Christopher Johnson: I said QUIET! We cannot trust him.
    Wikus Van De Merwe: What is he saying about the fuel, is this, are you trying to start this thing? He-he... Are you little fuckers trying to start this, and get away, eh?
    Christopher Johnson: Never mind.
    Wikus Van De Merwe: Ha-ha. Yeah, you sneaky fuckin' prawns, heh? I knew you prawns were intelligent.
    Christopher Johnson: Too bad. I could have fixed you.
    Wikus Van De Merwe: Wha-- Well-well-wha-what did you say about-about the fixing?
    Christopher Johnson: [after Wikus uses his alien weapon to kill a guard] Fuck! I thought you said not to kill them?
    Wikus Van De Merwe: He shot at me!
    Wikus Van De Merwe: Don't give up on me, Okay? Because I haven't given up on you. Alright?
    Tania Van De Merwe: I won't.
    Wikus Van De Merwe: Listen. You go ahead; you can make it. I’m gonna…just hold em off here, and I’ll join you soon.
    Christopher Johnson: No, we stick together. I’m not leaving you here.
    Wikus Van De Merwe: Take your boy and go home, you have to make it. Don’t make me go through all this and not make it, you understand?
    Christopher Johnson: I will come back for you.
    Wikus Van De Merwe: Go! Go now before I change my mind, man!
    Christopher Johnson: Three years, I promise.

## About District 9

* I thought with the aliens, you’d think, “I don’t want to sit next to that on the bus, they look insane, they look barbaric.” And then by the end of the film, you’ve done a 180 on your perception of them. And that’s why their design reflects that. They are gross. They are insect-like, which represents this sort of hive-structure society that they come from, and then they have a human sort of geometry to their face and eyes, so that at some point in the film, you can feel that there’s a sentient creature behind those eyes. So they have to have both of those two things, which is a bit of a balancing act.
    I really wanted the film to feel as real as possible, but I think if you spoon-feed people every piece of detail, it makes it less real. It just feels like a Hollywood spoon-feeding festival, as opposed to if you throw the audience into the middle of it, so they’re kind of trying to figure out what’s going on. I was okay with how much wasn’t explained.
   * Neill Blomkamp in "District 9 director Neill Blomkamp", by Tasha Robinson, AV Club, Aug 12, 2009.

## Cast

* Sharlto Copley - Wikus van de Merwe
* Jason Cope - Grey Bradnam, Christopher Johnson
* Eugene Khumbanyiwa - Obesandjo
* David James - Colonel Koobus Venter
* William Allen Young - Dirk Michaels
* Louis Minnaar - Piet Smit
* Mandla Gaduka - Fundiswa Mhlanga
* Vanessa Haywood - Tania van de Merwe
* Sylvaine Strike - Katrina McKenzie
* John Sumner - Les Feldman
* Jed Brophy - James Hope
* Vittorio Leonardi - Michael Bloemstein

## External links

* District 9 quotes at the Internet Movie Database
* District 9 at Rotten Tomatoes
* Official website