Gattaca (1997)
Directed by Andrew Niccols
Biological determinism; Dystopia; Genetic discrimination; Genetic engineering
By adopting the ideal genetic identity of a paralyzed man, Vincent finds the means of stepping beyond his genetic limitations and realizing his dream of space travel.
Vincent (Ethan Hawke) is a relic of an old reproductive system, a “degenerate” conceived in a sexual union rather than in a laboratory. Moments after he is born, his future has been read in his unmodified genes, the probabilities of various physical and neurological disorders spelled out in a droplet of blood. Knowing that Vincent’s predicted heart condition dooms him to an early death, his parents discourage his dreams of space travel, instead investing their hopes in Anton, Vincent’s younger, genetically modified brother. Vincent leaves homes and becomes part of the new working class, one defined by genetic information rather than race. His job takes him to the Gattaca complex, and as he cleans the space agency, he longingly watches the rockets departing. Determined to one day take flight in spite of his genetic failings, Vincent enlists the assistance of an identity broker; after contacts, hair dye and painful height-implant surgery, Vincent adopts Jerome Morrow’s (Jude Law) identity. The old Jerome (now renamed Eugene), genetically engineered for longevity but confined to a wheelchair, becomes Vincent’s reluctant accomplice. Each day, Vincent meticulously removes dead skin and hair, then applies contacts and finger pads filled with the old Jerome’s blood before strapping pouches of Jerome’s urine to his leg. Vincent is now a “borrowed ladder,” an invalid unwilling to assume the role relegated to him by genetic composition. When Vincent’s mission director is murdered at Gattaca days before his first mission, an errant eyelash found on the premises threatens to expose his true identity. With the help of Jerome and Irene (Uma Thurman), a coworker at Gattaca, Jerome tries to avoid detection long enough to realize his dream.
Andrew Niccol’s vision of a “not-so-distant future” is both stylish and realistic, set close enough to modern circumstances to make Gattaca a feasible result of current advances in genetic engineering. When Anton is genetically engineered, his parents merely want a healthy child, yet scientific advances allow them to eliminate genetic “burdens” ranging from obesity to male-patterned baldness. Children are no longer modified for longevity, but become designer copies of a genetic ideal. The original Jerome was designed with a strong, steady heart for athletic endeavors, and the six-fingered concert pianist Vincent and Irene observe has been bred for musical excellence. When masquerading as Jerome, Vincent can excel in the aerospace industry where those more genetically capable of success cannot; his excellence derives from an unflinching desire born, in part, from understanding his own mortality. Because his heart is “10,000 beats overdue,” Vincent need not ensure against possibilities that may never materialize. When Jerome earned a silver medal for swimming, he sees this not a success, but a failure to earn gold; his suicide attempt is born of a perceived failure in genetic purpose. Vincent is alive in spite of medical predictions, indicating limitations on predictions based on genetic averages. His will to succeed is shaped as much by the unforgiving label of “invalid” as it is by an innate drive. He becomes an inspiration for those whose genetic material marks them as inferior even as their desires urge them towards greatness.
Evaluation: Niccol produces a dream-like, stylized vision of the future, with characters at once detached and surprisingly sympathetic. Vincent’s relationship with his brother falls flat, but he and his misfit friends represent the emergence of new familial connections in an age of enforced genetic normalization.
– Natalie Champ