District 9 Exam Response

'Most texts today mix genres' How true is this of your three main texts? [30]


District 9 conforms to this statement as it is a hybrid. District 9 is a post modernist text and can be considered as a hybrid as the text mixes the science fiction genre and has documentary style conventions included. The concept of genre relates and fits within the post modernist theory which is similar with District 9. This text has re-accuring conventions recognisable of the science fiction genre, common conventions and themes running throughout the sci- fi genre including alien species, psychological/biological changes to man brought about by scientific changes and often questions the difference between human and alien. This film focuses on the apartheid that was occurring in Johannesburg at the time and addresses this through the use of human vs alien.
Typical genre conventions portrayed in District 9 are shown through the use of transformation and body horror. The main protagonist Wikus represents the issue of body horror through transformation from human to alien. The transformation occurs when Wikus comes into contact with 'alien black fluid' and shows the different stages of his transformation. The audience can easily identify the genre of this text as there are obvious conventions used throughout district 9 such as the use of interviews at the beginning of the film to introduce characters and stock footage such as news companies reporting issues in District 9 which conform to the documentary style. Most science fiction texts today address the issue of capitalism and power and show human life to be unimportant, which is shown throughout this film as Wikus is considered as an experimental object when his transformation begins. This text conveys a distopian view of society and shows an imperfect world where people in positions of power tend to abuse this and many issues/people are corrupt. When Wikus' transformation begins to take place in the restaurant, the technical codes represent the issue of horror. The camera angle in this scene is at eye level in order for the audience to empathise with Wikus through the portrayal of body horror and psychical discomfort as the audience can clearly see the transformation beginning to take place represented by the black nose bleed which is similar to alien species. The camera movement is shaky throughout this scene which could be argued represent Wikus' emotions when he realises his change, the use of diegetic sound portrays the issue of body horror through the use of typical horror conventional music in order to address something bad is happening. These conventions all link and pay homage to the science fiction genre.
Documentary style conventions are also shown throughout this text through the use of stock footage. One particular use of stock footage in District 9 is the use of CCTV, this is used deliberately in order to suggest to the audience that Wikus is trapped in a distopian world, as Wikus is filmed everywhere he goes the audience can identify documentary style conventions. Wikus is even being watched in his office in the MNU which is shown by CCTV footage. The mise en scene shows Wikus sitting at his desk and later his fingernails begin to fall off. The high camera angle used suggests dominance over Wikus and the idea that he is always being watched and controlled by the MNU. The low key lighting is another convention of the horror genre, and similar conventions are shown through the sci-fi genre to again represent body horror. The use of diegetic sound from Wikus shouting in pain also conforms to the representation of body horror and transformation, in this case when his fingernails begin to fall off.
The use of dialogue in this text also represents the issue of 'Apartheid' that was happening in 1982. There is a specific line in the text which says "this is our land, you must go now" this is a clear representation of black and whites shown through human and alien. Themes of racism and xenophobia are shown through the use of the alien species in District 9 and the evacuation of aliens from their home to be separated from humans. Regardless of this, Wikus transformation shows the similarity between the black and white and plays on the ideology that they feel the same emotion regardless of their race/species.