District 9

District 9 opens a door into our own psyche,without revealing it has ever done so!The story is revealed to us in the style of a documentary,with real people speaking , not actors,so we are led to believe.We are drawn in by breathless newscasters divulging unbelievable information.The movies' premise is that an alien spaceship is stalled over the city of Johannesburg with the creatures inside.The films protagonist is introduced as government official"Wickus" .He is assigned the job of care and containment of aliens,and attempts to do so in a humane manner.The audience is astonished by Wickus lack of insight or inexperience dealing with these matters,as though nothing has been learned by S.Africa's history with apartheid.Clinton Shorters' award winning score drives home the fear,urgency,and dispair the city feels with his rhythmic beat.The score evokes these emotions in the viewer,emphasizing the ethereal feel of the information we are hearing.Clinton Shorter artfully combines the newscast with the dramatic by way of two scores woven together with each becoming more prominent as the storyline dictates.The solo vocalist sings appropriately "The mysteries of life",in an indigenous African language.The desired effect being haunting and exotic,a mirror of our response to the storyline.Later in the movie we hear low register brass melody,accented by deep percussion,and punctuated with a militaristic marching beat ,building to a climactic crescendo.This film,sans score,would not be the thought provoking 111 minutes that it is.The accompanment of the music amplifies and completes every frame.The movie, at some point sinks into the category of unbelievable,and for me just becomes faux!