Mimic, 1997

#ecohorror

Mimic was the only Guillermo del Toro film I had yet to see of his filmography, which is part of the reason I included it in this marathon. I'm a huge Del Toro fan (who isn't?), and I enjoyed seeing the familiar motifs and style in this early film. Mimic is everything you expect from a 90s sci-fi film: dark, sticky, and a little corny, but overall it was an entertaining watch. In the making of the film, there was some friction between Del Toro and the head of Miramax at the time, Bob Weinstein. Apparently, Weinstein didn't think the film was scary enough, and he attempted to fire Del Toro from the project (White, 2017). Del Toro described it as "a horrible, horrible, horrible experience" (Macnab, 2018). Because of the lack of control Del Toro had over the final cut of the film, he ended up being unhappy with the end product. A director's cut was eventually released, so if you're looking to watch the film, I suggest checking that version out.

Mimic tells the story of an entomologist, played by Mira Sorvino, who genetically engineers a type of cockroach that will eliminate a disease that spreads from cockroaches to humans. The disease is successfully wiped out, but the engineered cockroaches develop some unintended characteristics with the potential to do serious damage to the human species. There were some freaky similarities to our current viral predicament in the film, which made it seem more pertinent and horrifying than it would otherwise. However, the history of human pandemics tells us that cockroaches would be an unlikely vessel for such diseases. Most of the pandemics throughout human history, current one included, have been initiated by the treatment and consumption of animals (Nibert, 2020).

Instead of talking about COVID-19, however, I want to pull out an idea from the film that is pervasive in our world: the idea that human technology is the solution to everything. Use of technology, more specifically tinkering with nature, is the mistake made by the humans in Mimic, as they attempt to solve a natural problem with an unnatural solution. There are entire books written on this topic (Hedges, 2013; Jensen 2016; Huesemann, 2011), so I can only leave some general food for thought. As humans in the modern world, we have an obsession with technology, viewing it as "progress" and an unquestionable good. But, if we really examined the current state of our natural world--climate and species destruction (among other harms) caused by rampant overconsumption and overpopulation made possible by technology--it points to the opposite conclusion. Human arrogance allows us to believe that our lives are more valuable and our issues more important than those of the creatures we share the planet with. Yet, this belief is just another human invention in a long line of destructive and oppressive human inventions.

What would the world look like if instead of solving a human-caused problem with an unnatural human invention, we tried to come up with a solution to the root of the problem, human behavior? What if we strive for a balance with and respect for the natural world instead of control over it? One thing is certain: there would be fewer murderous cockroaches!

References

Hedges, Chris. The World as It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress. Norton Books, 2013.

Huesemann, Michael, and Joyce Huesemann. Techno-Fix: Why Technology Won't Save Us or the Environment. New Society Publishers, 2011.

Jensen, Derrick. The Myth of Human Supremacy. Seven Stories Press, 2016.

Macnab, Geoffrey. “Guillermo Del Toro Interview: 'I Think Adversity Is Good – That Is Very Catholic of Me'.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 7 Feb. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/guillermo-del-toro-interview-the-shape-of-water-oscars-mimic-weinstein-miramax-pans-labyrinth-harvey-a8197751.html.

Nibert, David. “Now Is the Time to End the Oppression of Nonhuman Animals.” Common Dreams, 14 Apr. 2020, www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/14/now-time-end-oppression-nonhuman-animals?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3RnKYuU_pCE5GlUgeAYTzGt5vT8KxZTegDY4040W2ptVvIjPIMuE5W4FA.

White, Adam. “Harvey Scissorhands: 6 Films Ruined by Harvey Weinstein.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 6 Oct. 2017, www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/harvey-scissorhands-6-films-ruined-harvey-weinstein/.