Replicants, Holograms, and Humans: Companion Species in Blade Runner: 2049

• In Event: Machines and Monsters

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that the 2017 sequel to Blade Runner depicts the relationships among humans, dogs, cyborgs, and holographic beings to imagine ways of relating that could lead to a more inclusive ecology. Though the film recreates misogyny in a dystopian future, it also troubles the boundaries between human, nonhuman, and nonliving creatures to show that the relationships between beings matter—no matter what type of being they are. By showing empathetic and symbiotic relations between creatures, the film rejects environmental philosophies that prioritize human progress above environmental justice.

Presenter

• MaryKate Messimer, Savannah College of Arts and Design