Racism In District 9

The film District 9 was directed by Neil Blomkamp and released in 2009. The main actors in the film were Sharlto Copley who portrays Wikus Merwe and Jason Cope who portrays Christopher Johnson. The film is meant to depict the life of an extraterrestrial race that was forced to stay on earth in deteriorated conditions, while also facing discriminatory treatment from humans. Thus, District 9 demonstrates racism through the aliens, the process of dissociation of Wikus as a human, and how the director intended to humanize the aliens to the audience.

To further explain the film portrays racism through the aliens. This is demonstrated in the beginning of the film when the audience is introduced to the word “prawn” which is revealed to be a term that

This process is signified when Wikus begins to drip black liquid out of his nose which symbolizes his change from human to alien. Another example of dissociation of Wikus as a human can be viewed when it is discovered that he had formed a black alien claw, which creates a reason for people to disconnect him from humanity. Thus, this is furthered enforced when he is placed into a black body bag because this can be symbolized as Wikus no longer being viewed as a human but instead as an experiment for MNU to utilize. Furthering into the film the audience views Wikus being strapped down on a table and he overhears the procedure that they want to perform on him, he begins to plead for his life stating “Please, help me. Don't let them do it” (Blomkamp, District 9). Yet, his pleads are ignored and the head of MNU immediately replies by saying “Okay. I say, let's go” (Blomkamp, District 9), this can be viewed as Wikus being dissociated as human because even as he is begging for his life, the scientist around him do not seem concerned to what they are doing to him due to them only viewing him as an experiment instead of a human. Thus, through the perspective of MNU Wikus is no longer a human but an advantage to utilize him for the usage of alien