DISTRICT 9 STARRING SHARLTO COPLEY, DAVID JAMES RATED R (BLOODY VIOLENCE AND PERVASIVE LANGUAGE) 112 MIN OCT. 2-3, 6:30 P.M. Can a movie be more than just entertainment? For that matter, can any art form, be it music, film, literature etc., have the power to change hearts and minds or even just open them? They should, and when done properly, they can.

Great films not only tell a story, they inspire a response. They have the power to move an audience to laughter, to tears, to anger, to anything but apathy. And sometimes, the truly great films will show you something. Something you didn’t even know existed. Something dark and horrifying and absolutely true. And because of that film, you will want to know more. And when you learn more, you may be inspired to act. And if enough people act, true and lasting change can occur. All because of a film.

District 9 is a great film. Director Neil Blomkamp uses the science fiction trappings of the classic “aliens among us” story to offer up a commentary on the apartheid in South Africa. Much like the race struggle that occurred in that nation during the 1980’s, the “prawns” as the aliens are referred to by the government, are shunted off into ghettos and are refused the basic rights we expect in a civilized society.

SHORTS STARRING JIMMY BENNETT, JAKE SHORT RATED PG ( MILD ACTION AND SOME RUDE HUMOR) 89 MIN OCT. 4, 6:30 P.M. This isn’t a new theme in cinema. Two decades ago, Alien Nation used a similar metaphor as a commentary on race relations and immigration. But it didn’t focus on such a specific moment in time the way District 9 does. Even the title is a reference to Cape Town’s infamous “District Six” an area of the city that was declared “White’s Only” and from which approximately 60,000 minorities were forcibly removed.

Can District 9 help end xenophobia or social segregation? It’s a naïve idea, but it’s possible. If poorly written pop nonsense like The Da Vinci Code can inspire people to travel across the ocean to visit a museum, then anything is possible.

So what do you think? Can a movie (or book, or song) be more than just entertainment? Should it be? Let me know at nick.spinelli@us.army.mil.

Also playing this weekend is Robert Rodriguez’s Shorts. I’ve not seen it, but the word is it has the same appeal as his other kid’s fare such as the Spy Kids trilogy and The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl so if you or your children liked those, they’ll probably like this one too.