Revisiting District 9 : Borders, Bodies and Becoming Minoritarian

This article examines the representation of aliens in Neill Blomkamp’s social science fiction film District 9 (2009) in relation to broader notions of otherness. It draws on Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s philosophy of becoming, along with studies on borders and migration, to explore the process of becoming alien or “becoming minoritarian.” It discusses how “becoming minoritarian” in this film relates to the broader implications of border policies and the politicization of biometric measurements. It investigates how characters play the role of Deleuze and Guattari’s “exceptional individual” to take an “anomalous” or borderline position. This “anomalous” position places the character’s body as the bearer of the border and the smallest scale of bordering. This paper investigates how the minoritized alien is perceived as a threat to human society, and necessitates control and surveillance. Ultimately, he acquires an in-between status that remains his permanent position regarding both human and alien societies.