The question of how ‘science fiction’ and ‘real perception’ are possible in science fiction documentaries is a complex one.After watching Life after People, it suddenly occurs to me that ‘science fiction’ has distinctive attributes of the future and the unknown, whereas ‘documentary’ is attached to history and the known.With its unique narrative mode, the science fiction documentary film cleverly blends the past and the future, fiction and documentary in a common narrative space by means of visualising the future. Another salient issue that science fiction documentaries cannot avoid is that of authenticity. This issue stems from the very concept of documentary film itself, and since Grierson’s seminal definition of the genre, there have been controversies concerning the authenticity of documentary film. The concept of authenticity pertains to the foundational issue of human existence, delineates the status of human relations with human beings, nature and society, and serves as the fundamental premise for the construction of a worldview, in addition to serving as the basis for all theoretical knowledge and practical experience.As a philosophical metaphysical assumption, reality is conceived as a product of human imagination, created ex nihilo by human reason in order to achieve an understanding of the world. The existing research on science fiction documentary has not yet produced a clear and normative definition of the concept. However, the existing definitions of science fiction works and documentaries can help to further illuminate the concept. In essence, both documentaries and science fiction films are conceptualised as depictions of human cognition informed by tangible experiences. However, a fundamental distinction emerges when analysing the underlying motivations behind these genres. Documentaries prioritise the documentation of reality, whereas science fiction documentaries are predicated on factual information employed for the purposes of expression or creation. In science fiction films, the depiction of reality often serves to advance the narrative arc, superseding its role in documentaries.
However, when considering specific forms of expression and representation, the characteristics of documentary, science fiction documentary and science fiction film intersect. For instance, from the perspective of creative techniques, science fiction documentaries adhere to the fundamental creative principles of documentaries; and from the perspective of creative themes, contemporary science fiction films and science fiction documentaries exhibit certain parallels, i.e., they transcend the ‘fantasy’ and ‘strangeness’ and focus on subjects such as the development of science and technology and the future situation of mankind. The focus on the development of science and technology, and the future situation of human beings, is a distinguishing feature of both genres.
It is evident that science fiction documentaries disrupt the conventional boundaries between ‘fiction’ and ‘reality’, facilitating an interweaving and communication between the ‘realities’ of the past, present and future within the domain of postmodern historical narratives. This enables the past, present and future ‘realities’ to intertwine and communicate with each other within the framework of postmodern historical discourse. The intellectual underpinnings of science fiction documentaries, drawing from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, imply that the study of their authenticity must encompass more than a mere examination of traditional aesthetics or the author’s creativity. Instead, it should be informed by theories from cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary perspectives, fostering an intermingling of novel perspectives. A more fruitful approach may be to explore the nexus between ‘science fiction’ and ‘realism’ in sci-fi documentaries by examining the ecological connotation of such documentaries from the perspective of eco-criticism. The central question guiding this inquiry is how ‘science fiction’ and ‘real perception’ can be realised in the context of science fiction documentaries. Furthermore, the intricate interweaving of these two concepts within the genre warrants further investigation. What is the significance of this phenomenon?
#-filmLast modified on 2025-10-18