Review: District 9

I couldn't hack it. I had to go home & watch cartoons to go back to my happy place. I felt ugly and dirty.

Movies are my preferred form of escapism. It is for this reason that I prefer supernatural (eg. ghosties & ghoulies) to the twisted realism or the really twisted (eg. Saw & Psycho). If it gets too scary or gruesome, I can just pooh-pooh it away, because it's not real/it's just a movie/we're not really like that.

District 9 was too real. I didn't know what lies to spin to myself to make me feel better. We, as a species, are UGLY. We're manipulative, profit-worshipping, weapon-toting, lie-spewing, UGLY. I wasn't sure when I teared up, whether I was angry or sad. Maybe both.

The surest sign of intelligence out there is the fact that they haven't contacted us.

In many ways, it was a good movie. However, it held too shiny a mirror up to humanity for my liking. When you see so much filth all in one go, you start to forget the sparks of kindness, love, charity and honour we're capable of when we remember to try. I choose my rose-tinted glasses, damnit.

I wouldn't watch it again.