To what extent do
contemporary sci-fi films such as ‘Elysium' comment on social class?
Through the years of science fiction
(SF), the genre has always sought to act as a medium for expressing
the anxieties of their contemporary audience. However, in recent years
this genre "has generally been quite poor (too much CGI in place of
character development, too many explosions in place of ideas)”[1].
This lack of finesse and articulation in the plots of modern science fiction
cinema, questions whether they still create the same effect as they did in
previous years. In the 1950's, where science fiction was considered to be at
its pinnacle, Don Siegel's 'Invasion Of the Body Snatchers' was and still is a
prime example of how the SF genre can act as a social commentary and raise
social awareness. Although this film is classed a "black and white
B-picture", it was very effective in bringing to life
the fears that inhabited the public. The main reading of this film
"was the alien (read 'Communist') dehumanization and take-over of an
entire community" which was the prominent apprehensiveness of America
in the 1950's. It is proclaimed that Siegel's 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers'
"takes pride of place in a chain of 1950s sci-fi classics of the questioning,
doubting, paranoid variety"[2].
Science fiction as an allegory could
also be seen in modern SF films, such as Neil Blomkamp's 'Elysium'. Blomkamp's
long awaited film hit cinemas in the summer of 2013. Its international box
office sales were $193,141,974 and worldwide, a total of $286,192,091. The
audience response were mixed with positives and negatives, positives being the
spectacular use of CGI and negatives being the lack of character and setting
development, but the resonating subject matter were the overhanging subliminal
messages within the film's narrative. Through the binary opposition in the
film, rich vs poor, it can be argued that Blomkamp’s ‘Elysium’ is an allegory
portraying the inequalities of social class in the 21st century. This
representation of social class in 2053 makes this provides personal
identification to all audiences as “social class is intertwined with every
fabric of everyday life.”[3]
Firstly, Blomkamp’s ‘Elysium’ is seen
to be an allegory for the social inequalities prominent in the 21st century. In
the opening scene, the same establishing shot used to display the carnage of
Earth was also used to flaunt the glamour of the space shuttle of Elysium. This
is interesting because it accentuates the contrast between the two settings.
The resounding contrast in colour between both places also establish contrast
between lavish and decaying. On the ravaged earth there is the prominent use of
the colour brown. This choice of colour implies that there is famine thus
implying poverty. On the contrary, the space shuttle, Elysium, is in abundance
of crops with the dominant colours of blue and green. This use of primary
colours represents a purity as well as a sense of wholesomeness. On earth, the
overcrowding is very evident as seen with the people living off the sides of
the skyscrapers further accentuating the sense of poverty. With the use of the
long shot, the buildings are made parallel with a decaying plant. This is done
through the buildings having rubble stemming from the sides and the use of colour
black. The slow pace editing allows the audience to bask and to internalise the
extremity of the contrast between the two settings. The use of positional
communication further outlines the contrast between earth and Elysium. Elysium
is placed above earth, looking down on earth thus creating heavenly and
religious connotations. It creates the sense that the space shuttle is like
heaven and is for people that are celestial and are holy. The fact that such a
heavy contrast created right from the offset of the film, it instantly creates
a binary opposition. This therefore acts as an enigma code for audiences as
questions are raised as how earth has got into such a state. The establishing
shot of the space station, makes it clear from the offset of the film that this
film belongs to the science fiction genre because the futuristic feel as well
as the very typical setting of space in the science fiction genre.
Through this contrast, it exposes the inequalities
of wealth. This is created through the massive contrast in wealth; being
extreme poverty to excessive wealth. This inequality is ever
prominent as “the gap between the rich and the poor keeps widening, the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development says.”[4]
Also, through the binary opposition outlined by the two settings established in
the opening scene, it draws likeness to Karl Marx’s ideology the the world is
set into two groups, “Ruling class, class that is ruled”[5].
By the order of wealth represented, being parallel with the order of wealth in
contemporary society, it links with the decorum doctrine. “This doctrine is the
idea that genre and styles are ordered hierarchically, and that the
hierarchy of literary genres should reflect and maintain social
hierarchies”[6].
Therefore presenting how it is credible that one may argue that social class is
represented in modern science fiction film.
Another excerpt in the film that
expresses social inequality is the final scene. When both the protagonist and
his helper infiltrate the space shuttle's main system room. The choice of the
colour white for all the appliances in the room shows how the space shuttle is
for the pure and the holy because the colour has implications of purity. Also,
the use of editing to create the slow motion of the special forces team trying
prevent the coup, enhances the climax that is happening because it makes the
whole situation more significant. This use of slow motion coupled with the
opera music playing in the back accentuates the climax but also this use
of parallel it makes the protagonist's sacrifice more moving and
sentimental. Additionally, slow motion is used at the end when Max slowly dies.
This intensifies the feeling of sorrow and emotion that the audience would feel
towards Max's death because the audience are left slowly watching Max's death.
Moments before Max sacrifices himself for the sake of equality, he looks out
the window to see Earth. This point of view shot of Max looking over the earth
is a conventional moment is science fiction film “when the narrative flow is
stalled to make way for visual spectacle”[7],
but also makes his sacrifice synonymous with the crucifixion of
Jesus. This is because Max died for the sake of the Earth, just like Jesus this
parallel further makes Max's sacrifice moving. The flash backs into the
beginning of the film, to when he was a child creates a sense that death is
near because it shows how he is looking over his life which therefore makes the
ending much more climatic as well as emotional.
By Max pioneering social equality, it
defies the pre notion of the ordinary person. "Ordinary people are now
convinced that there is no alternative to the morality of the acquisitive
society; that Britain's seemingly intractable economic problems are quite
beyond human control; that social inequalities are therefore unalterable."[8]
This positive resolution allows audiences to see that there is always hope for
change therefore providing the audience pleasure personal identification. This
links also links with the 21st century
perception that “classes are indeed being fundamentally remade.” [9]Therefore,
by Blomkamp challenging the status quo, empowers the audience as they are
introduced to idea of change and equality. However, this shows how Blomkamp is
beginning to present more futuristic ideals, like the idea of equality. This
links to the science fiction genre as it aims to “is to pictorialize the
unfamiliar”.[10]
Secondly, Blomkamp’s ‘Elysium’
presents the effects of capitalism and the exploitation of the working class.
In an excerpt of the film when Max goes to work assembling and repairing
droids, the conditions of his work place was far from ideal. The use of low-key
lighting in shows how he and his fellow colleagues are kept working in darkness
which highlights the poor working conditions workers from earth deal with.
These life threatening conditions are further seen when Max gets trapped in a
radiation chamber and then begins to suffer from radiation poisoning. After
this event in the film, Max’s make-up changed drastically to being
very pale and always perspiring. This physical change of the protagonist
becoming very sickly and weak, accentuates these hazardous conditions hence
making Marx’s theory of alienation very applicable.
The exploitation of workers is also
very prominent in the 21st century. In BBC’s Panorama, an episode called
‘Amazon: The Truth Behind the Click’, it documents how amazon employees work
from day to day. Workers work with a scanning device which directs them to the
item in the warehouse and gives them a specific time limit to get that item.
The BBC reporter experiencing being an Amazon employee, says how the shifts are
very intense and are very physically tough, this also is synonymous with the
other employees. This documentary exemplifies how the discrimination of the
working class is very relevant even in the 21st century. In SF movie, plots
tend to fall into two categories, utopian and dystopian; in the future, society
will either become better or worse. “Because of controversy, most science
fiction films will fall into the dystopian film category rather than the
Utopian category.”[11]
In ‘Elysium’, Blomkamp also chose to take the dystopian approach to his science
fiction blockbuster in order to expose the flaws in modern day society.
Director Blomkamp states, “Elysium may be set in the future, but it’s merely an
amplification of an age-old problem.”[12]
Furthermore, the effects of capitalism
is seen in the scene where Max is beaten by a droid, which results in Max’s arm
breaking. In the Media Magazine they wrote that earth’s “impoverished
inhabitants abuse and herded by robotic police.”[13]
Verb choice ‘herded’ suggests that the people of earth are like sheep which has
connotations of submissiveness and inferiority.
The ‘robotic police’ is a convention of the science fiction genre. This
show ‘Elysium employing the conventions of the science fiction genre like
“advanced technology, [and] robotics”.[14]
The fantasy of droids being police catches the audience “between that which
does and doesn't exist and which might be a logical extension of what exists.”[15]
This presents how SF film can provide the audience pleasure of escapism. And
how the audience encode and decode the films plot, characters and narrative
structure are through their personal cultural and social experiences. With Hall’s
model it would definitely support that Elysium is a projection of 21st century
society as all the interpretations of the film is based around the problem
faced in society.
In addition, another reading of
Blomkamp’s ‘Elysium’ is that it represents issues of immigration, poverty and
overcrowding. In the film, Secretary Delacourt, the head of Elysium’s defence,
orders two ships carrying people from earth down causing numerous casualties.
These deaths are parallel with the continuing death toll of migrants who try to
escape poverty in war crossing “from Africa in leaking overcrowded boats, to
reach their own version of ‘Elysium’.”[16]
This portrays “the myth that people who should be held responsible for the
nation’s multiple social and economic ills are those at the bottom of the
pecking order”[17]
because it is almost like, those trying to escape poverty are being denied as
they are seen as the problem and the variable that will corrupt. This shows how
the science fiction is representing modern day society, and could even be
regarded a “vehicle for ‘safely’ discussing controversial topical issues”[18]
Furthermore, the representation of
women is interesting in this film because there are two women that are
represented in two very different ways. The character named ‘Fray’ is represented as a
traditional woman (dominant representation). This is done through her
occupation as a nurse in the film and through her following the role as a
carer, because she nurses her daughter suffering leukaemia, and the protagonist
Max when he is wounded. In contrast, the other woman secretary Delacourt, is
the head of defence in Elysium. This is unconventional as women aren’t
generally linked to war and battle. Also, her character is ruthless and
relentless as she shoots down 2 ships carrying citizens from Earth causing 46
casualties. Furthermore, she is the character that organises a revolution. Her
character defies the expectation of women because she is so desensitised to
death that she will murder at any cost for power. The construction of Secretary
Delacourt would represent the increasing level of equality that women are
gaining. The dichotomy that is created between Fray and Delacourt accentuates
the struggle in which women face, choosing to follow the stereotypical role, or
going against the prescription of society and being independent. However, as
the film begins to resolve, secretary Delacourt is killed, but Fray and her
daughter survive. An interpretation of this could be that women that defy the
typical role of women are punished, and those women who adhere to the
traditional expectation are rewarded. Interestingly, this goes against modern
society because it can be contended that women are empowered to become more
independent and shouldn’t be confined to just the domestic sphere. This
therefore shows that
The representation of race is more
straight forward as it follows common stereotypes. When Max seeks help to be
smuggled to Elysium, he approaches Julio, the pioneer in smuggling people from
earth to elysium. Right from choice of name of the character, the audience will
realise that he is from hispanic descent. Furthering this, two of his helpers
who equip Max for is mission also embody the stereotype of the hispanic male.
This is done through the costume and the make up of the characters. The main
helper is seen covered in tattoos and people who have them are often associated
those that are uneducated and/or are involved in some crime. Additionally, this
sense of crime and anti-establishment is created within this sequence because
the low-key lighting creates a sense of secrecy as well as concealment; also,
the graffiti on the walls would also support the underground,
anti-establishment reading. Moreover, the use of props would suggest a sense of
crime. The surgical tools that were used to attach the exo-suit to Max were
tools to deal with metal like welding irons, drills and metal cutters. The
increased pace of editing when flashing the utensils accentuates the danger and
provokes a sense of tension and anxiety. The use of dialogue further stresses
the distrust of Julio’s helpers. When Max asks “will it hurt?”, they respond in
laughter. This gesture would defiantly question the helpers’ reliability and
trustworthiness because this sarcastic and sadistic laughter would evoke a
sense of evil. This negative light that the hispanic race is represented in
would tie into Brathes theory of stereotyping. That those in power create
stereotypes of those who are in less power. This is seen as the hispanic race
in America as always seen to be the minority race hence those that are in less
power. This use of stereotyping could be interpreted as just trying to
“organise and simplify”[19]
and not actually enforcing any ideas upon the audience. However, it is
inevitable that this use of stereotyping tries to convince the audience to this
“certain representation”[20]
of the hispanic race; that they are all criminals and are people that aren't to
be trusted.
Dating back in the history of science
fiction film, the genre has always served as a vehicle in which the anxieties
of the era can be presented as, “genres may be defined as patterns, forms,
styles, structures that transcend individual films.”[21]
Don Siegel’s ‘Invasion of the body snatchers’ would be a prime example of this.
In this film, the audience sees that the town that is inhabited by protagonist
Miles, is acting very strange. People begin to make conclusions that their
family members are not acting the way they usually do. Some of these
accusations that are made protagonist, Miles, considers deranged because “there
is no difference you can actually see. He looks, acts, sounds and remembers…”
This would link to the era’s “dangerous path of McCarthyism”[22].
McCarthyism is the practice of making unfair allegations without proper regard
for evidence which. In the 1950’s also known as the McCarthy era, thousands of
Americans were accused of being communists, the primary targets of suspicion
were government employees, entertainers, educators and union activists.
Moreover, these accusations being made amongst the family was also seen in
America in 50’s where the Red Scare was at its epitome, to the extent to where
people began to suspect family members of being spies.
Additionally, it would could be seen
that the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers goes beyond Cold War
politics into an anxiety more deeply rooted in human consciousness”[23].
These anxieties are seen in Siegel’s SF blockbuster when the people are swapped
with the pod people double. In the film, when the people are swapped, the pod
people act with no emotion and arguably lose their individuality and
eccentricity. This ties in with the stereotype of how the America represented
communism in the 1950’s - making “all its citizens lockstep into a sameness of
purpose and behaviour.”[24]
This ‘red-scare’ was very prominent in America in the 50’s; many citizens in
America feared communism “could destroy American society from the inside as
well as from the outside”[25]
This would definitely present that the science fiction genre has served as a
medium in which society’s fears is represented.
