Gattaca

Gattaca is a 1997 science fiction drama film by director/screenwriter Andrew Niccol, starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law and Alan Arkin.

Plot

Set in a world where genetic engineering of humans is common and DNA plays the primary role in determining social class, Vincent (Hawke) was conceived 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 years, Vincent faces extreme discrimination and prejudice. The only way he can achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut is to impersonate someone else. He assumes the identity of paraplegic swimming star Jerome Eugene Morrow (Law) and, using DNA and tissue samples provided by Jerome, gains admittance to Gattaca, the space flight agency of the day. The plan works perfectly until an agency 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).

Related Topics:
Set in a world - DNA - Nearsightedness - Congenital heart defect - Discrimination - Prejudice - Astronaut - Impersonate - Crime scene - Eyelash

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The story shares parallels with Robert Heinlein's 1942 novel Beyond This Horizon. In that story, doctors would design each child by selecting the best of the parents' genes; using genes not found in either parent was forbidden. As in Gattaca, people without engineered genomes were looked down upon. Another similarity between Gattaca and Heinlein's writing is that the protagonists in both Gattaca and Heinlein's story Starman Jones memorize a book on interstellar travel and falsify their identities in order to gain employment.

Related Topics:
Robert Heinlein - 1942 - Beyond This Horizon - Protagonist - Starman Jones - Interstellar travel - Employment

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The story is centred around the irony of the "perfect" Jerome failing to realise the potential of his genes and the "imperfect" Vincent transcending his. A milder version of the disorder which afflicts Vincent prevents Irene from taking part in a mission. This dichotomy shows how the eugenics policy in Gattaca genetics adversely impacts on the humanity of both "perfect" and "faulty" humans.

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The film's themes include personal identity, courage, hope, faith and sibling rivalry.

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