In the film ‘Blade Runner‘, the question that all of the characters grapple with is “What does it mean to be human? And, what effect does our humanity have on our actions?”

“Blade Runner” displays the emotional reactions (love, hate, sorrow), that Replicants (humanoid robots) have, and the relationships they have with each other, in a dystopian urban future. The human protagonist, Deckard, is shown to be somewhat robotic, and while he has family photos in his home, he has no family, no community, and no healthy emotional expression,

Deckard is ordered to kill the Replicants because they are not human, and as such, pose a danger to humans. He follows orders and he does his job, like a machine.

The Replicants, on the other hand, seek love, safety, life, and a home, like a human being.

The movie ends with the Replicant he is hunting, saving Deckard’s life, and talking to him about Love, Beauty, and Loss.

When a sequel was made a few years ago, I read an article about the “big question” of the movie, about whether or not Deckard himself was secretly a Replicant. This question, while interesting, misses the point of the film.

The confusion about what separates the humans from the Replicants is intentional, and the final scenes of the film mean that it does not matter anymore what Deckard is, or what Roy Batty is.

Roy Batty is more human than Rick Deckard, in his beloved memories, his expressions of love, rage, hatred, and sorrow.

This knowledge sets Deckard free, in the end, from his mechanical nature. Replicant or not, he is no longer a machine.