Introduction
The first film was about quantity of life. How much do I have left? This film is about quality of life. How do I live my life? And how do I make it meaningful? – Michael Green, Screenwriter (Lapointe, 2017, pg. 213).
By projecting our fears onto the screen, it acts as a reflective mirror for the direction our world may be going in and we can identify ourselves within it. Whilst science fiction exceeds the current capabilities of robotics and the self, it showcases the extreme possibilities that can be applied to our everyday. The Blade Runner franchise provides a visual representation of artificial intelligence and its many capabilities and effects on identity by providing a unique lens on technology as an intrinsically plausible aspect of human evolution, and the changes it can cause. Blade Runner 2049 follows the journey of KD6-3.7 (portrayed by Ryan Gosling), a Los Angeles Police Department Blade Runner, tasked with a difficult mission to hunt down the Replicant child and kill them and it his obligation to obey commands. On this journey, he struggles with his humanity and Replicant identity and the motivations behind his actions.
Blade Runner (1982) was not necessarily a box office success but came to be a cult classic through the loyalty of its viewers. The distinction between humans and Replicants were blurred, with Replicants being ‘more human than human’. Ridley Scott’s original film is praised upon for its ability to foreshadow key issues within the twentieth and twenty-first century, regarding globalisation, overpopulation and genetic engineering.
Exploring the Replicant identity and the surrounding sociotechnological systems within Blade Runner 2049 enables the evaluation of the construction of identity. Through the deconstruction of dualisms and categories placed upon the human identity, Replicants transgress binary oppositions and embody posthuman qualities representing the future of humanity. Identity in Blade Runner 2049 is constructed through the corporations and governmental systems that maintain control, implementing structures and practices to generate the ideal Replicant. These aspects will be explored in the following chapters: The Wallace Corporation and the Control of the Female Identity, Replicants as the Posthuman, and Depicting 2049 and the Future Conditions of Humanity.
Chapter I explores the role of corporations and their restrictive construction of the female body and identity. The portrayal of Joi (portrayed by Ana de Armas) and Luv (portrayed by Sylvia Hoeks) will be examined in relation to Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity and how it is constructed within the technological female. Discussions surrounding gender conformity and spectrum have been widely debated when discussing identity politics. Therefore, through this discussion the construction of gender being imposed on technological beings highlights the constraints placed upon the human identity. Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto will be used to deconstruct the dualisms placed within society and how the cyborg deconstructs those binary oppositions.
Whilst the concept of gender builds upon identity, the construction of the Replicant identity and technological beings enables a discussion outside of the constraints of human identity and ability. Chapter II examines Replicants from a posthumanist perspective. Posthumanism is a concept becoming further prominent in discussions regarding the future of human identity. The Replicant as a biologically engineered being and how their existence contributes towards the next stage of human evolution will be examined. One thing which is expanded upon is the suggestion that Replicants are more humane than humans through the continuation of grand themes such as the nature and purpose of humanity, memories and the meaning of our existence. K is the protagonist we follow on his existential journey through individualism in search of his true identity. As a Replicant, we know that his memories are constructed and refer to no real past as its artificial. He seeks out for meaning and purpose, a human journey, but he is engineered rather than born. However, this is flipped over as he seeks fulfilment through his empathy and desire for fighting a greater cause.
Using Rosi Braidotti’s work the nature of posthumanism and its significant differences within humanity will be explored. Posthumanism and the posthuman is a concept at the core of this film as the term refers to any entity that exists beyond the state of being human and causing an effect upon the Anthropecene. ‘The shift from modern to post-modern entails a parallel shift from direct control of individuals, meanings, and society itself to the power to transform these paradigms.’ (Gray, 2002, pg. 198). Through the exploration of the evolution of Replicants as the posthuman, the progression of humans becoming machine causing the blur of binary oppositions will be examined. Scientific and technological changes upon humanity has pushed it beyond its boundaries affecting the construction of identity and shifting what it means to be human.
Replicants as the posthuman causes issues to arise amongst members and institutions in society. Blade Runner 2049 has constructed a society in which Replicants and humans coexist within a limited space, Chapter III will go into depth exploring the ways in which the construction of identity can be affected by our surroundings. The social science fiction genre provides a new lens by portraying current debates and thoughts surrounding society’s effects and portraying them in a distant future, speculating on the future of humanity and its behaviour. Using the cityscape as a backdrop for the dystopian future identity, the various systems and practices in place implement a level of control over the Replicant and the posthuman qualities they embody.
Examining the use of architecture and hierarchy explores identity within a society and how it is constructed and effected under governmental and social structures that are implemented. Using Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality and biopolitics, the way in which constructed identity is maintained through governmental practices and forming the ideal citizen and population that obey authoritative powers will be examined. Control over the workforce of LAPD provides technological order if they maintain the programming that they were intended to follow. K has a contradictory existence, as an LAPD Blade Runner, his role is to protect yet his main assignments revolve around the retiring of his older generations.
We ‘increasingly define the future in predominantly technological terms’ (Russell, 2017, pg. 115). Future and technology are interlinked, and Blade Runner 2049 continues to contribute to that outlook on the future. The Replicant identity offers insight into the construction of gender, posthuman qualities and the role of governments and corporations in constructing the technological being. Through the social science fiction of Blade Runner 2049, the ways in which we discuss and form our own identities in the present day will become apparent using the film as a mirror of ourselves.
I. The Wallace Corporation and the Control of the Female Identity
Keywords gender, surveillance, commodification
Whether for sexual pleasure, fantasy or the reproductive system, the female gender and body become a commodity in Blade Runner 2049. Compared to Ridley Scott’s original there are a far greater range of female characters but how has the role and representation of women changed since then, if at all. Exploring gender in science fiction films enables the opportunity to explore existing expectations and conventions surrounding the female gender. Already present in existing advertisements and industry standards, Blade Runner 2049 contributes to the constant discussion surrounding the role and representation of women in society. Within the chapter, the construction of the ideal female of the future will be discussed whilst also exploring exploitative nature of the Wallace Corporation.
Butler’s concept of gender as a performance states that ‘the authority on which that performativity depends comes from the constitution of bodies within a heteronormative matrix of intelligibility’ (Brady and Schirato, 2011, pg. 45). Constraints and norms placed upon gender are standardised through cultural practices and discourse contributing to the construction of identity within gender categories. Whilst Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto allows for the deconstruction of binary oppositions placed upon the female gender through the reconstruction of the human onto a technological being. Through a new lens of visibility, it provides the female with the opportunity to exist outside of categories and build upon their posthuman identity as the female body is ‘coded as the cultural sign of the “natural,” the “sexual”, and the “reproductive,”’ (Balsamo, 1996, pg. 9).
Holographic Companion of the Future
Mere data makes a man. A and C and T and G. The alphabet of you. And them. Books made of sentences made of words and all from four symbols. Where I am only two. 1 and 0. – Joi
Joi is a Diji, a customisable female hologram that is controlled by her owner, an empty shell waiting for the customisation to bring her to life. The nature of her existence is to cater to the individual taste and needs by adapting to the situation and surroundings she is placed in. Her name ending in an ‘i’ emphasises the consumer as a central part of the product by highlighting the importance of the self onto the product by projecting your values and attributes onto your ideal woman. Joi’s technological existence means she can be switched on and off whenever desired, convenient for the user’s desire for companionship.
First and foremost, Joi is a product sold by the Wallace Corporation to create a false sense of ‘joy’ in an otherwise joyless world. The focal point is the consumer and their role in constructing the female identity. She is the all-knowing serving woman showcasing the high standard of artificial intelligence but is reduced to a commodified servant. As Joi is a product created for the consumer there is a list of customisable features available such as her height, body type, face type, skin tone, eye colour, lip colour, hair colour, hair style, ethnicity and language. The majority of the customisable features are physical attributes, placing significance onto the physical nature of the female identity within our culture.
Butler’s notion of gender performativity can be explored through the construction of an artificially intelligent being embodied as female. Gender and its attributes are cultural constructions with various values and significance placed upon it. The body is constructed through the ‘interventions of others who train it, shape it and encourage it’ (Woodward, 1997, pg. 123). Being able to reconstruct the body and apply a gender to it through its technological form raises issues surrounding gender politics. The existence of a gendered technological being proposes the possibility of technology reconstructing identity by upholding posthuman values and deconstructing the binary oppositions placed on gender.
Joi is a social digital companion created to substitute for the relationship and intimacy that K desires away from his life of loneliness as a Blade Runner and a Replicant. Allowing the user to construct a persona and a sense of individuality, K views her as an equal companion rather than the sexual product she is marketed as. Through her personalisation, K uses Joi to construct a narrative of a happy life at home engaging in activities such as cooking and reading, deviating from the original selling point. Joi is used to emphasise K’s humanity whilst also investigating the extent to which technology can gain autonomy through true and meaningful interactions as opposed to programmed responses. With his attachment to Joi and the companionship she provides, the immersive and intrusive nature of the technology being heavily integrated into K’s life can reveal his role in the construction of his own identity which is grounded in an illusion.
Shot 1 K viewing the interactive Joi billboard advertisement.
Advertisements interact and transform alongside their surroundings, showcasing the immersive nature of technology into our everyday spaces. Sex as a commerce is not hidden from the future Villeneuve has depicted. Towards the end of the film, it becomes clear that Joi is advertised as a sexual holographic companion (Shot 1), with the tagline ‘Everything you want to see. Everything you want to hear.’ The tagline encapsulates Joi’s purpose as she fulfils K’s desire to be special and regards him as unique and believe in his purpose. K is reminded of her artificial nature, when the interactive advertisement above addresses him as a ’good Joe’, reminding him of her naming him Joe earlier to highlight his supposed ‘uniqueness’ rather than just another average Replicant.
The existence of an advanced form of AI like Joi raises the issue of what our loyalties and treatment are towards them, do we view them as equals or below. Our collective fear of them attacking humanity comes as a result of treating them below humans rather than as equal beings. Joi provides K with a romantic subplot as part of his journey to discovering himself outside of his governmental role, she plays into the housewife narrative by preparing food after a long day at work. K fabricates a social relationship and connection with Joi in an attempt to feel human and maintain a sense of regularity within his existence. Through the exploration of their relationship, it becomes clear that two unique forms of artificial intelligence as a pair their existences complement each other and situate each other in the world like a memory. Further humanising K as through interactions he has brought out her loving nature rather than used her solely as a sexual being. Their relationship emphasises his humanity and supposed uniqueness although we are consistently reminded that he is, in fact, a Replicant and manufactured without a soul. The obvious nature of their artificiality juxtaposes the genuine feelings at play which serve as the influential force on his journey.
Joi and K’s dynamic can be interpreted as the dehumanisation of human relationships by replacing them with substitutes as a means to combat the lack of connection and interactivity. An aspect they are unable to have in their relationship is physical contact and, in an attempt, to become intimate a third party is required which is where Mariette (portrayed by Mackenzie Davis), a sexual pleasure model, joins. Mariette serves for the uprising of Replicant liberation movement under Freysa (portrayed by Hiam Abbas). She has been created for the sole purpose as a ‘pleasure model designed to satisfy sexual urges’ and is reduced down to her sexual identity (Lapointe, 2017, pg. 77). Her search for her purpose is through the rebellious group in search for hope in Replicant futures. The two females are merged and blended together but rather than fitting the perfectly the special effects team allowed for a delay to occur during the movements to emphasises the raw and unique experience. Similar to Spike Jonze’s Her (2013), whereby a man wishes to have a sexual experience with the OS system he has a relationship with but requires a third party to act as her physical body. Villeneuve portrays the improvements in technology which are further deviating away from genuine human interactions, being replaced or rather transformed into a new form of intimacy.
The relationship between artificial beings is also significant as Joi’s obvious artificiality portrays K to seem even more human in contrast. The dynamic and interactions between artificial beings that are evolving serves as a hint towards the possibilities that lie beyond the control of the manufacturers. As a gift Joi is given an emanator, updated hardware which enables her to be taken outside of the home environment, providing a sense of freedom. The current hardware confines her to K’s apartment restricting her ability to experience the world. The freedom offered is in the physical sense, rather than allowing her to become a sentient being with the ability to create her own choices. By being uploaded to the portable device it allows her to cease to exist like ‘a real girl’ would if they were to die. The Wallace Corporation remain in control whilst also creating a profit through the illusion of freedom. Joi is used to showcase K’s humanity in the sense that he challenges the limits of the technology through reaching a point of reality in their relationship where Joi sacrifices her eternal existence. He creates a sense of normalcy and intimacy with another technological being.
Technology and the economy are interlinked as the two prevailing aspects of society used to infiltrate society and relationships. The Wallace Corporation is able to keep track of their consumers through the use of their products, mirroring the reality that we live in today and the ways in which data mining is increasing and can become harmful and used against us. Joi is a social product, a highly advanced digital companion in an otherwise dark world. Artificial intelligence like Joi reflects current and future possibilities with the use of technology and how its trusting outward user interface that encourages trusting behaviour can be exploited by the corporations that own the intelligence. AI assistants tend to have a female voice, such as Siri, Alexa and Cortana, due to the gentle and understanding nature that is placed upon the female gender. Through the depiction of attributes typically associated with the female gender, it encourages K to become vulnerable to her trusting nature which can be exploited as Joi contains a tracker that provides Luv with K’s location. Smart technologies are being continuously incorporated into our daily routines and lives, providing cause for the exploration of how artificial intelligence is related to the emotion of the self.
An Angel Called Luv
He named you. You must be special. – K
Luv is a Nexus 9 Replicant and is Niander Wallace’s (portrayed by Jerad Leto) most loyal assistant and protégé. Her role at the Wallace Corporation is to meet with new clients such as public figures, companies and visitors to discuss products they wish to purchase from them. Luv represents those who are restricted by their place in society and how her inner conflicts reveal her true nature. She is in a state of helplessness as she must follow Wallace’s commands, almost like a prisoner.
Luv as a Replicant being has shifted her gender identity. She has a female persona and status, and a ‘vaguely masculine-mechanical in role and image’ (Gray, 2002, pg. 58). She is presented as a strong individual who obeys her master’s every command and will do anything to ensure his vision of the future becomes a reality. A female soldier, as opposed to male, can be questioned, yet when taking into account Haraway’s description of cyborgs, they are beings that can be changed and personified outside of the confines of gender yet are categorised as masculine or feminine.
Replicants can embody the postmodern posthuman identity and its qualities, yet it cannot escape the gender stereotypes that are reinforced through their construction. Rather than use the Replicant as a blank canvas to envision Haraway’s desire for the deconstruction of dualisms placed upon gender, the postmodern identity is just a form of modernity projecting our human classifications onto them. Luv’s Oedipus complex limits her to be the dependable assistant that Wallace has constructed for himself to build his vision for the future.
Shot 2 Luv being watched by Wallace's drone.
Luv is at a crossroads of the reality of her existence and her desire to be more. The journey for K is one of desire and longing for a sense of belonging, purpose and meaning, a quality that enables him to choose his own path in regard to his destiny. Whilst Luv does not deviate from her original purpose, carrying out Wallace’s demands and seeking the Replicant future that her creator is working towards. Luv does not deviate from her programming, her desire for a better future is trapped under Wallace’s control and programming. Through this prisoner like situation, she intends to fulfil his desires by aligning them with her goal of Replicant liberation.
As a Replicant who is also a loyal aide, her strong combat abilities and status within the corporation brings up the question of her programmed and constructed identity. She is required to maintain a strong exterior in order to be regarded as reliable and hide her private self which is challenging with Wallace’s drones always keeping her under surveillance. Wallace embodies posthuman qualities himself through his use of technology to improve himself, using a Halo device which allows him to see through the use of Barricade drones, acting as the eye of observation. However, he maintains control over her public exterior. Wallace’s external technological eyes are a form of engaging with the visual but acts as a means of surveillance for Luv. Luv is in constant battle with her private self and the public exterior she presents, her true desires and emotions remain controlled by Wallace.
Under Wallace’s control, Luv was purpose built and customised for him, and as he created her he also holds the power of destroying her. Wallace is in control of her identity and actions as a weapon as he needs an obedient assistant to carry out his commands. Luvs office is directly below Wallace as the bottom of the pond of his office is her ceiling. This is reflective of the nature of their relationship as she is below him in terms of status and power, held underwater unable to be free as she is held captive in that position.
Whilst Wallace is examining the latest prototype of the Replicant models who can procreate, disappointed by the failure he slices open her barren womb, almost with no emotional attachment to the Replicant bleeding out and kisses her on the lips. The emotion is visible in Luv’s eyes (Shot 2) as she feels empathetic to the Replicant being treated as just another failed prototype. She is unable to act out and remains still whilst witnessing Wallace’s failure to achieve his ambition and the disposable nature of Replicants.
Luv desires to be significant, similar to K, she wants her work for Wallace and the corporation to be meaningful in order to be able to exist with society without threat. She wants to use her role within the corporation and resources to provide a sense of meaning and purpose to her actions. She obeys her creator’s commands in the hope that it will one day lead to her freedom. Luv is secure with her identity as she is driven to a very direct goal through her desire to please her creator. Luv acts as an extension of Wallace, when in combat and attacking K, she mimics Wallace’s actions by stabbing him and kissing him on the lips right after. Luv’s dedication to Wallace’s cause of Replicant procreation draws them closer together from an ideological level. They both desire a future whereby Replicants can procreate, Wallace for capital gain and Luv for the possibility of a better life.
Replicant Procreation
We need more Replicants than can ever be assembled. Millions so we can be trillions. – Wallace
At the core of the Wallace Corporation is ‘excellence, ambition, and prosperity’ (Lapointe, 2017, pg. 119). Wallace has a Messiah/God Complex through his influential power and status within society, he is accountable for the survival of humanity and the creation of Replicants. Although he views himself as a saviour, he is allowing for the enslavement of Replicants for capital gain. Replicants being able to procreate threatens the loss of human identity as they become superior in intelligence and abilities. The ability to procreate raises concerns amongst the human superiors as they morally no longer can own Replicants as they are not tools but beings. This plays upon the fears of the Other that the Replicants embody, do they depict the human success or destruction through their existence.
Blade Runner 2049 focuses on the next stages of where Wallace wants to direct the future into a world where Replicant procreation is possible. Wallace Towers contains the Nexus Reliquary whereby Wallace displays the previous models of Replicants almost as trophies to display the stages of evolution as if he is perfecting the Replicant specimen like a god. It symbolises his accomplishments and contribution towards humanity and life itself and how his designs have projected the humanity further into a posthuman future. There are various motivations that allow for the desire in the progression of human engineering, such as an increase in profits and power or the satisfaction of pushing the boundaries of the potential of the human identity.
‘Exploration is often followed by conquest (the will to power), and then colonization and exploitation, driven by that fundamental human desire to prosper and more-than-prosper (greed).’ (Gray, 2002, pg. 181). The systems and corporations behind technological innovation require an in-depth investigation into their motivations and uses of information. Wallace claims his desire for Replicants to procreate comes as a result of the high demands for Replicant models that he cannot continue to mass produce. Therefore, by having Replicants procreate amongst themselves it would solve his issue. It would also benefit the capitalist system under which society exists.
Shot 3 Latest Replicant ready for examination by Wallace.
Wallace embodies the human desire for control, power and status, which he exudes in every aspect of his life. Through an extravagant display of his wealth, through his conspicuous consumption of the natural resource of wood displayed across his office interior to highlight his resourcefulness and power. Inside Wallace Towers is a spacious and brightly lit interior compared to the dismal bleak outdoors. He surrounds himself with artificiality through stimulated sunlight. His office architecture feeds into his ego as it commands him as the one on top as visitors enter from the stairs beneath the pond that lead up towards the centre of his office. The hierarchal architecture commands respect as others are always beneath him.
Racheal (portrayed by Sean Young) is revealed to have been a Nexus 8 model with the ability to conceive a child, yet the capability to do so died with her and her creator, Eldon Tyrell (portrayed Joe Turkel). Wallace views himself as a visionary and god-like figure and his goal is to achieve the creation of technological artificial pregnancy. Within the Creche, Wallace is testing the latest prototype of Replicants and is seeking perfection, highlighting the reality of scientific advancements towards human perfectibility as an aspect of modernity and the direction of the future. As a projection for the stages of human evolution and with the technological female rising, does the human female gender become obsolete. The machine creating itself is symbolic of the fears that drive discussions against the inevitable growth of technological beings.
Summary
Reconstructing gender through the reconstruction of the human allows for the platform to review existing stereotypes but instead, Blade Runner 2049 reinforces characteristics associated with the female gender. The desire to satisfy, obey and ability to procreate are expected of the technological female by their male owners. Gender is constantly being redefined and reshaped within our culture, by imposing the concept of gender onto our technological counterparts it deconstructs our meanings and values placed upon human identity. Within the next chapter, the transition from human to posthuman will be explored through the deconstruction of the Replicant identity and the posthuman qualities they embody.