What is the true meaning of being human? That is the question that boils in my mind while watching this film. Although it is an action film, it operates on multiple dramatic levels which is known to the main topic of the film noir including the dark cinematography and the questionable moral outlook of the hero – in this case, extended to include reflections upon the nature of his own humanity. The protagonist Deckard questions the humanity of the replicants by utilizing an empathy test which is a series of questions focused on the treatment of animals and other people. The replicants show compassion and concern to their kind but are against human characters who lack the empathy in this dark dystopian world.
From watching the action of the replicants of trying to prolong their lifespan, I’ve come to realize that the better question for this film is: what does it truly mean to be alive? Everyone says that androids and robots are just machines that cannot feel or induce true feelings such as love and pain. But I believe that even humans are robots of a sort for each of us is programmed in our own special way. In a way, androids are alive because they learn, grow, and experience things humans do as well. In Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” it is mentioned that even robots have souls but not in the same way a human feels. Anyone, whether they’re humans or machines, who think of others and care for them must have a soul to do so which is something I can tell that it is the truth.
valeriemonroig 