When wealth divides

            I went to see Elysium because I am fond of science fiction and believe it one of the best genres in which to explore the deeper questions of life.

            Elysium is written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, who had (partially) impressed me with District 9 (2009). That film failed because Blomkamp seemed so eager to make certain we understood his point that he turned the movie into a heavy-handed allegory. Critic Roger Ebert noted the parallels—the aliens landed in Johannesburg, South Africa, were kept in an isolated township called District 9 (like District 6 where “Cape Coloureds” were forced to live before being forcibly relocated), the plot is about the forced relocation of the aliens, and the alien’s speech includes numerous clicking sounds similar to some black African languages. “Despite its creativity,’ Ebert says, “the movie remains space opera and avoids the higher realms of science-fiction.” Still, it was creative, especially visually. The sets were striking and both wide-angle shots and closer shots including background details revealed a director who knew how to express ideas visually.

            Since Elysium starred both Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, I hoped that it would be a better film, but was disappointed. The allegory remains heavy-handed, this time set in the future (the year 2150) when the disparity of incomes between rich and poor has grown even more sharply than we experience today. The wealthy few live in an idyllic space station and the rest live in squalor on what remains of planet earth, exploited and hopeless. Both themes that Blomkamp has chosen to explore in these two films are important. When we see those different from ourselves as alien, and when wealth removes accountability from the process of gaining those riches, the very meaning of human dignity is called into question. What’s needed, it seems to me, however, is a subtler story line if the impact of the film is to awaken the conscience of those who subconsciously have chosen to pursue personal peace and affluence as primary concerns in life.
            Someone needs to tackle this theme, because it is as real as apartheid and just as deadly. As long ago as the 7^th century BC the Hebrew prophet Habakkuk issued a warning that if wealth is gained at the expense of others, an accounting will someday occur.

            Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain

                        to set his nest on high,

                        to escape the clutches of ruin!

            You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,

                        shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.

            The stones of the wall will cry out,

                        and the beams of the woodwork will echo it (Habakkuk 2:9-11)

Sounds like the plot of a science fiction film, doesn’t it?