Blade Runner 2049: Finding Humanity Through Agency

What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to have a soul?

Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve’s customarily pensive and evocative exploration into the human condition, shrouded under the guise of a blockbuster, tackles these questions, among others.

Long gestating sequels to hallowed films usually flatter to deceive and, at worst, are unrepentant cash grabs.

Blade Runner 2049, however, rather miraculously manages to organically build and expand on the themes of its predecessor, the much-vaunted and revered Blade Runner.

As a sequel to said film, Blade Runner 2049 is near-perfect; it remains one of the greatest sequels of all time. The visuals, the rich yet melancholic atmosphere, and Roger Deakins’ awe-worthy cinematography are significant contributing factors.

However, the thematic resonance of the film and the poignancy embedded in the story make Blade Runner 2049 a remarkable triumph.

What does it mean to be human? Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a replicant Blade Runner, believes he knows the answer. Due to an implanted memory, he is our Pinocchio who believes he’s been brought to life; that he is human, that he has a soul.

And just that mere belief is adequate for K to forsake his programming; to go rogue to find answers, to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), whom K believes to be his father. That’s what humans do; they yearn for connection.

But as we discover, K isn’t the child; he isn’t the Neo of this story, he isn’t the chosen one. He isn’t special. He isn’t human. The scene where K discovers that he is indeed ‘just another replicant’ is one of the most compelling moments in the film.

But it is what transpires next that defines K’s identity.

Because precisely when K discovers that he isn’t human, he does the most human thing he has done his entire life — he decides he’s going to rescue Deckard from the clutches of Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) and reunite him with his daughter.

K’s decision and sacrifice make him the most human of all the characters in the movie. How could someone be more human than K?

He learned to love and then lost his love, Joi. He believed he was special, but that belief was shattered as well. But in the end, our Pinocchio followed his heart — he reunited a father with his daughter.

Ultimately, it matters little whether or not K was human; by the end, he decides for himself. He claims agency. His free will makes him human. Or at the least, it leads him to discover his humanity. A real human being.

As the film ends, Joe rests calmly on the stairs. As the snow falls, Joe is at peace. At peace with who he is, with what he has done. He has seen things you won’t believe. He has seen a miracle.

Most of the moments of his life will be lost in time, like tears in snow. But his sacrifice that united two souls won’t ever be forgotten by either of them.

Joe’s humanity will endure.