Chapter 3
Aquaterrorists and Cybraceros: The Dystopian Borderlands of Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer (2008)
Thomas Prasch
In the futuristic sci-fi dystopia of Sleep Dealer, multiple forms of technologically mediated bodies—people with implanted nodes connecting to computer networks in order to labor from afar as workers, drone pilots, and technojournalists—are employed to comment on a range of contemporary border issues, including immigrant labor, economic inequalities, control of water resources, and modern drone warfare.
Rivera’s film seeks to rework the character of a familiar genre, the science-fiction movie; in essence, he wants to make science fiction take its political labels seriously. As he told audiences at Sundance: “What I’m really interested in is speculative fiction. I wanted to use this film to ask the question, ‘Where are we going?’ . . . Films like Star Wars use terms like empire and rebellion, but they are bandied about in bland ways—powerful words used to describe nothing.” In Sleep Dealer, Rivera works to give those words real meaning.
Films discussed in Chapter 3:
A Day without a Mexican. Directed by Sergio Arau. USA/Mexico/Spain, 2004.
“Before the Making of Sleep Dealer” (short). Directed by Alex Rivera. USA/Mexico, 2008.
Blade Runner. Directed by Ridley Scott. USA, 1982.
COPS (TV show). Created by Malcolm Barbour and John Langley. USA, 1989-present.
eXistenZ. Directed by David Cronenberg. Canada/UK, 1999.
I, Robot. Directed by Alex Proyas. USA, 2004.
Sleep Dealer. Directed by Alex Rivera. USA/Mexico, 2008.
Star Wars. Directed by George Lucas. USA, 1977.
Strange Days. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. USA, 1995.
“Why Braceros?” (short). Produced by Council of California Growers; no director listed. USA, 1959.
“Why Cybraceros?” (short). Directed by Alex Rivera. USA, 1997.
Rivera’s film seeks to rework the character of a familiar genre, the science-fiction movie; in essence, he wants to make science fiction take its political labels seriously. As he told audiences at Sundance: “What I’m really interested in is speculative fiction. I wanted to use this film to ask the question, ‘Where are we going?’ . . . Films like Star Wars use terms like empire and rebellion, but they are bandied about in bland ways—powerful words used to describe nothing.” In Sleep Dealer, Rivera works to give those words real meaning.
Films discussed in Chapter 3:
A Day without a Mexican. Directed by Sergio Arau. USA/Mexico/Spain, 2004.
“Before the Making of Sleep Dealer” (short). Directed by Alex Rivera. USA/Mexico, 2008.
Blade Runner. Directed by Ridley Scott. USA, 1982.
COPS (TV show). Created by Malcolm Barbour and John Langley. USA, 1989-present.
eXistenZ. Directed by David Cronenberg. Canada/UK, 1999.
I, Robot. Directed by Alex Proyas. USA, 2004.
Sleep Dealer. Directed by Alex Rivera. USA/Mexico, 2008.
Star Wars. Directed by George Lucas. USA, 1977.
Strange Days. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. USA, 1995.
“Why Braceros?” (short). Produced by Council of California Growers; no director listed. USA, 1959.
“Why Cybraceros?” (short). Directed by Alex Rivera. USA, 1997.
Trailer of the film Sleep Dealer (Source: YouTube)
About the author:
Thomas Prasch, Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Washburn University, received his Ph.D. from Indiana University. Assistant editor responsible for film reviews for the American Historical Review from 1994 to 2004, he has edited a biannual selection of film reviews for Kansas History since 2001. Recent publications include “Eating the World: London in 1851” in Victorian Literature and Culture (2008) and “Behind the Last Veil: Forms of Transgression in Ken Russell's Salome's Last Dance” in Kevin Flanagan, ed., Ken Russell: Re-Viewing England's Last Mannerist (2009).
Thomas Prasch's webpage
Thomas Prasch, Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Washburn University, received his Ph.D. from Indiana University. Assistant editor responsible for film reviews for the American Historical Review from 1994 to 2004, he has edited a biannual selection of film reviews for Kansas History since 2001. Recent publications include “Eating the World: London in 1851” in Victorian Literature and Culture (2008) and “Behind the Last Veil: Forms of Transgression in Ken Russell's Salome's Last Dance” in Kevin Flanagan, ed., Ken Russell: Re-Viewing England's Last Mannerist (2009).
Thomas Prasch's webpage