Gattaca

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Gattaca
Alternative theatrical poster for Gattaca
Directed by	Andrew Niccol
Produced by	Danny DeVito
Written by	Andrew Niccol
Starring	Ethan Hawke Uma Thurman Jude Law
Music by	Michael Nyman
Cinematography	Slawomir Idziak
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	October 24, 1997 (U.S. release)
Running time	101 min
Language	English Esperanto
IMDb profile

Gattaca is a 1997 science fiction drama film written and directed by Andrew Niccol, starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law with supporting roles played by Loren Dean, Gore Vidal, and Alan Arkin.

The film presents a biopunk vision of a society driven by "new eugenics". Children of the middle and upper classes are "designer babies", genetically engineered in-vitro to be the optimal recombination of their parents' genetic material. A genetic registry database uses biometrics to instantly identify and classify those so created as "Valids" while those conceived by traditional means are derisively known as "faith births", "god children" and, more pejoratively, "In-Valids" (as in "invalid"). “In-valids” who try to enter the “valid” world (by contracting with “valids” to purchase their DNA through collection of blood, urine, hairs, dead skin flakes, etc…) are known as “borrowed ladders” and "de-gene-erates". While genetic discrimination is forbidden by law, in practice it is easy to profile one's genotype resulting in the Valids qualifying for professional employment while the In-Valids who are susceptible to disease are relegated to menial jobs.

The movie draws on concerns over technological developments which facilitate reprogenetics, and the possible consequences of such biotechnology for society. It also explores the theme of destiny, and the ways in which it can/does govern lives. Characters in Gattaca continually battle both with society and with themselves to find their place in the world, and who they are destined to be according to their genes.

[edit] Plot

• Tagline: "There is no gene for the human spirit."

In a "not too distant" future, where genetic engineering of humans is common and DNA plays the primary role in determining social class, Vincent (Hawke) is conceived and born without the aid of this technology. Suffering from the nearly eradicated physical dysfunctions of nearsightedness and a congenital heart defect, as well as being given a life expectancy of 30.2 years, Vincent faces extreme genetic discrimination and prejudice. The only way he can achieve his life-long dream of becoming an astronaut is to impersonate someone else.

He assumes the identity of swimming star Jerome Eugene Morrow (Law) who becomes paraplegic as a result of a botched suicide attempt when he could not accept winning second place in light of his genetic superiority. Vincent uses "valid" DNA and tissue samples provided by Jerome, and gains admittance to the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, the most prestigious space-flight conglomerate of the day. The plan works perfectly until, a week before Vincent is scheduled to leave for Titan, the mission director is murdered and evidence of Vincent's own DNA is found at the crime scene in the form of an eyelash. Vincent must evade ever-increasing security as his mission launch date approaches and he pursues a relationship with his co-worker Irene Cassini (Thurman).

After numerous close calls, the investigation eventually comes to a close as Director Josef (Gore Vidal) is arrested for the murder. Just as Vincent seems to be in the clear, he is confronted by one of the detectives covering the investigation, who is later revealed to be Vincent's estranged brother, Anton (Loren Dean). Anton criticizes Vincent for putting his family under undue stress due to his disapperance. However, it soon becomes apparent that Anton is acting more out of insecurity and is more concerned with how Vincent had managed to get the better of him, despite his supposed genetic superiority. Vincent and Anton settle their competition as they did when they were children, by seeing who could swim out into the ocean farthest. Once again, Vincent manages to beat his brother, and saves him from drowning.

As the day of the launch finally arrives, Jerome says that he intends to travel the world, and reveals to Vincent that he has stored enough genetic material to last him a lifetime. As Vincent moves through the Gattaca complex to the launch site, he is stopped for an unexpected DNA test. Vincent relunctantly agrees to take the test, even though he has none of Jerome's genetic material to hide his identity. As Vincent takes the test, the doctor confesses to Vincent that his son admires him, and wants to be an astronaut just like him, despite a genetic defect that would already rule him out. The test result reveals Vincent's true identity, but the doctor alters the results and allows him to proceed regardless. The doctor then reveals that he has known Vincent's identity all along, saying: "When urinating, right-handers don't hold it with the left hand". As the shuttle lifts off, Jerome is shown committing suicide inside his home incinerator, wearing his last medal.

The story centers on the irony of the perfect Jerome failing to succeed despite being given every advantage while the imperfect Vincent transcends his deficiencies through force of will and spirit. A milder version of the disorder that afflicts Vincent prevents Irene from taking part in space flight. This dichotomy shows how the eugenic policy in Gattaca and the world in which it is set adversely affect the humanity of both Vincent and Jerome, as well as the "invalid" and "valid" humans they represent.

The film's themes include personal identity, courage, friendship, love, hope, the burden of perfection, sacrifice, sibling rivalry, society and control, fate, genetic determinism, and whether humanity and the human spirit can be defined or limited by our DNA.

[edit] Reactions

Gattaca's dystopian depiction of "genoism" has been cited by many bioconservative critics in support of their view that new eugenics should be discouraged and even banned. However, in his 2004 book Citizen Cyborg,^[1] bioethicist and democratic transhumanist advocate James Hughes argues these points:

1. Astronaut-training programs are entirely justified in attempting to screen out people with heart problems for safety reasons;
2. In North America, people are already discriminated against by insurance companies on the basis of their propensities to disease despite the fact that genetic enhancement is not yet available;
3. Rather than banning genetic testing or genetic enhancement, society needs genetic information privacy laws that allow justified forms of genetic testing and data aggregation, but forbid those that are judged to result in genetic discrimination. Citizens should then be able to make a complaint to the appropriate authority if they believe they have been discriminated against because of their genotype.

In Gattaca, the use of genetic information to make decisions in education and employment is technically illegal, however the use of such information is as an irresistible "peek" into a candidate's potential, and any laws prohibiting such discrimination are easily bypassed. Indeed, the world of Gattaca depicts a possible impracticality of limiting the use of genetic information when reprogenetic technology has advanced to the point of complete ubiquity.

[edit] Trivia

• "Gattaca" is a word made from the abbreviations for the DNA nucleotide bases Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine. The sequence GATTACA, along with many other short sequences of base pairs, occurs many times throughout the recently published human genome.
• Throughout the opening title sequence and closing credits the letters A, T, C, and G within words and names are displayed in an alternate typeface. This is because of the abbreviations of nucleotide bases, A for Adenine, T for Thymine, C for Cytosine, and G for Guanine.
• In Greek, "Eugene" means "well-born" and is a root of the word "eugenics". In Latin, "Vincent" means "conquering" and comes from the root "vincere" meaning "to overcome." "Anton" comes from Antonius, and is both the family name of Roman plebian Mark Antony, and the name Antony chose for the invented son of Hercules, called Anton, from whom he claimed descent. "Irene" means "peace" in Greek.
• To create an atmosphere of ubiquitous physical perfection, director Andrew Niccol cast fashion models as extras.
• The movie's score was composed by Michael Nyman, who also wrote the music for The Piano.
• People held within large rotating gyroscope-like frameworks, known as Aerotrims, are glimpsed in some scenes. Although Aerotrims have been used for astronaut training, most were used for cardiovascular exercise in gyms during the 1980s.
• The character Irene Cassini is named for Giovanni Domenico Cassini, a seventeenth-century astronomer who discovered the Cassini Division, the largest gap in Saturn's main rings. In 1997, the satellite Cassini-Huygens was launched on a mission to study Saturn and its moons. Early in 2005, Huygens, the small probe part of the satellite, landed successfully on Saturn's moon Titan. The space mission that Vincent joins in Gattaca is destined for Titan.
• The exterior shots of the Gattaca Aerospace building in the movie were of the Marin County Civic Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Most of the interior shots were filmed in Hollywood, except for scenes near escalators.
• The exterior of Vincent and Jerome's apartment was filmed at the CLA (Classrooms, Laboratories, and Administration) Building of Cal Poly Pomona, designed by the architect Antoine Predock.
• In another dual pun, FBI agents are called "Hoovers" in the movie, referring both to former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and the vacuum cleaner company Hoover. The FBI agents use small hand-held vacuum cleaners to gather DNA evidence.
• Announcements within the Gattaca building are given in English and also in Esperanto, a constructed international language.
• The piece played by Ryan Dorin, the twelve-fingered pianist, is an embellishment of the Impromptu in G Flat Major, Op.90, No.3 by Franz Schubert. Notes were added to a recording of the piece so that it became, as Irene explains to Vincent, a piece that could "only be played with twelve fingers".
• Gattaca's working title was The Eighth Day, invoking the Biblical creation story of Genesis in which God creates the world in six days before resting on the seventh day. As noted in the DVD deleted scenes, The Eighth Day is the name of the center in the movie where children are engineered. The name could not be used because a film of the same name (when translated) had been released during Gattaca’s lengthy production.
• In contrast to the technologically sophisticated future the film is set in, most of the cars used in the film are from the 1960s (for example, the Rover P6 the police drive and Irene's Citroën DS), although they are electrically powered.
• A deleted scene shows a montage of famous people who may not have been born if science had decrypted and been able to manipulate the human DNA sooner: Abraham Lincoln (Marfan's Syndrome), Emily Dickinson (Manic Depression), Vincent van Gogh (Epilepsy), Albert Einstein (Dyslexia), John F. Kennedy (Addison's Disease), Rita Hayworth (Alzheimer's Disease), Ray Charles (Primary Glaucoma), Stephen Hawking (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), and Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Asthma). At the end of the sequence appears the sentence: "Of course, the other birth that may never have taken place is your own."
• In one scene, Vincent tells Irene his heart is "already 10,000 beats overdue". This is actually only around 143 minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes), as the average adult male heart rate is 70 beats per minute.
• The film was listed on the Victorian Certificate of Education's list of texts for (standard) English students to study until the end of 2006.
• The staircase in Jerome's home is a spiral staircase (also seen in the alternative theatrical poster), eliciting the image of a double helix.
• Vincent claims that he knows his old copy of his genetic makeup "by heart", his genetic makeup says that he has a 99% chance of heart failure

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Gattaca argument

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Gattaca

• Gattaca at the Internet Movie Database
• Gattaca at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
• Roger Ebert review of Gattaca
• Dunne, Ray (2003). Could DNA screening work?. BBC News