Movies - Gattaca

	Movies - Gattaca

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

The film presents a retro-futurist vision of a society driven by liberal eugenics where genetic engineering and in-vitro fertilization have allowed engineering of children (including factors such as gender, intelligence, life expectancy, hair color, height, and the elimination of most genetic diseases). People who are conceived by "traditional" sexual reproduction ("faith love") form a poor underclass with inferior genes, collectively known as "in-valids", who are delegated to the lower ends of the social ladder.

The movie draws on concerns over technological developments which facilitate in vitro fertilization, genetic engineering and diagnosis of genetic disorders, and the possible consequences of such technology for society.

Plot

In a fictional world 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 years, Vincent faces extreme 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 paraplegic swimming star Jerome Eugene Morrow (Law) and, using DNA and tissue samples provided by Jerome, gains admittance to the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, the most prestigious space-flight conglomerate 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).

The story is centered around the irony of the "perfect" Jerome failing to realise the potential of his perfect genes due to his lack of ambition and drive while the "imperfect" Vincent transcends his own because of his ambition and drive. Jerome won only a second place medal in a swimming competition and that his paralysing "accident" was the result of a botched suicide attempt. A milder version of the disorder which afflicts Vincent prevents Irene from taking part in space flight. This dichotomy shows how the eugenics policy in Gattaca and the world it is set in adversely affect the humanity of both Vincent and Jerome, as well as the "in-valid" and "valid" humans they represent.

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

Criticism

The film Gattacas retro-futurist depiction of genetic discrimination has been cited by a few bioconservatives in support of their view that liberal eugenics should be suppressed. Techno-progressive bioethicist James Hughes argues these points however: # astronaut-training programs are entirely justified in attempting to screen out people with heart problems for safety reasons; # 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; # rather than banning genetic testing or genetic enhancement, society should ensure the privacy of genetic information, and strictly control when genetic information can be used to make decisions in education and employment.

However, in Gattaca, the use of genetic information to make decisions in education and employment is technically illegal (and is thinly disguised as "drug tests" to skirt the law), and the use of genetic information is portrayed as an irresistible "glimpse" into a candidate. Indeed, the world of Gattaca arguably demonstrates the possible impracticality of limiting the use of genetic information when reprogenetic technology has advanced to the point of complete ubiquity.

Hughes counters that science fiction can pose interesting questions, but no film "demonstrates" or "proves" anything about the workability of policies. Ultimately, 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 would then be able to make a complaint to the appropriate authority if they believe they have been discriminated against because of their genotype.
[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Gattaca ]

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