District 9: Not only entertaining, but it may also do some good

I saw District 9 last weekend. Being the parent of a toddler, I only get to the movies 3 or 4 times a year, so I have to make my choices carefully. District 9 was a good choice. It was not only entertaining — stuff gets blow’d up quite spectacularly — but it was also challenging to its audience. It makes you question the cultural assumptions you bring to the film. Judging by the conversations it has started on the Interwebs about racism and colonialism, District 9 is a rare good thing: a movie that makes you think.

District 9 was filmed on location in South Africa, specifically in Chiawelo, a squatter camp located in Soweto, which is a suburb of Johannesburg. It has no big-name stars, rare for a sci fi action movie. Some of the people playing small roles are actually residents of the slum where the movie was shot — the District 9 where the aliens were sequestered — and the living conditions were not exaggerated for the filming. Residents of Chiawelo are hoping that the film will call attention to their conditions, and will specifically embarrass their government into improving those conditions. Given how many people have already seen the movie, this is likely. If so, District 9 may end up being more than just a sci-fi action movie, more even than a unique story that makes you think — it may actually bring about a good change for some people.

Interview with District 9 director Neill Blomkamp (A/V Club)
South Africa’s District “mine” (The Globe and Mail)