From Aliens to Apartheid: Reimagining Segregation in Neill Blomkamp's District 9 (2009)

Vladimir Rosas-Salazar

doi:10.22151/politikon.57.CON1

Authors

Vladimir Rosas-Salazar University of Warwick https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8567-516X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.57.CON1

Keywords:

Film, South Africa, Apartheid, Racial Justice, Fiction

Abstract

This review analyzes how Neill Blomkamp’s 2009 film District 9 uses an alien species forced into a refugee camp as an allegory for the institutionalized racial discrimination experienced in South Africa under apartheid. Three key aspects are explored in the following paragraphs: 1) District 9’s resonance beyond typical sci-fi entertainment by engaging with pressing sociopolitical issues; 2) Its representation of dehumanization and oppression of marginalized groups through the alienation of the aliens; and 3) The film’s innovative mockumentary style blending fiction with documentary realism to enhance emotional impact.

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