Summary of Gattaca - Movie Review Example

1 MOVIE: GATTACA Introduction This 1997 sci-fi movie is a futuristic film about a society playing God and meddling with nature by controlling man’s DNA makeup to produce genetically modified citizens, possessing the most superlative hereditary traits of their parents. This is society trying to produce perfect citizens, something that is not in the nature of man and abhorring and discriminating citizens that do not come up to its standards and ex. Thus, this new kind of eugenics, that produce genetically engineered creatures that society deems worthy and valuable is the root cause of society’s discrimination of its citizens who did not undergo this bizarre reproductive technology. Because the rationale behind this genetic tampering of human nature is to produce a near perfect citizenry who are not predisposed or susceptible to diseases or to human physical frailties and because this society cannot withstand citizens with vision impairment, obesity, heart and other organ defects or any other visible imperfections, those who do suffer from any such imperfections because they are In-Valids are being prejudiced against and are relegated to second-class citizen status and find that they cannot reach their goals, and their dreams severely impeded because society just cannot tolerate them and will obstruct their every hope and aspiration. They also suffer psychologically and emotionally because society not only treats them as pariahs but look at them as pitiful and scornful creatures. But this society itself is grossly myopic because it fails to see that man is both flesh and soul. That the soul and the human spirit have the power to transcend 2 physical limitations and proof of that is that so many great men and women suffer from some defect such as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who suffered polio and yet campaigned and won the presidency or heptathlete Jackie Joyner Kersee who was asthmatic and yet ruled them all in Olympic heptathlon and the long jump for decades. The list is long and includes Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller. The list goes on and on and probably include our own ancestors who shone and stood out despite physical limitations stressing the point that the most valuable thing is not what is evident to the eyes. MOVIE SYNOPSIS It is in the above backdrop that Vincent (Ethan Hawke), who was born In-Valid, meaning that because of poverty his parents could not afford to allow the foetal Vincent to undergo pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and DNA selection and thus be genetically engineered with superlative traits from both mother and father, was caught in a trying situation. As such, Vincent cannot qualify for professional jobs such as being an astronaut, which he dearly desired but had to content himself with menial jobs such as the cleaning job at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, the NASA type of the future era. Unlike his brother Anton, who has the whole world in front of him, Vincent found out that because society practically shut the door in front of him, he had to work double time- learning, working and dreaming to remove the barriers placed before him. Instead of resigning himself to his fate, he saved money, led a frugal life while scavenging 3 astronomy texts from the garbage can and poring on these books and when the opportunity came in the form of a maiming of a genetically ‘perfect’ swimmer (who only settled for a silver medal) which strapped him forever to the wheelchair and the introduction by a DNA broker German to this guy Jerome Eugene (played by Jude Law). Both Vincent and Eugene were perfect parts of a mosaic puzzle. Both completed each other’s frustrations and needs. Eugene, spurned by his family and society for playing second fiddle to some other swimmer found a figure who has the drive, ambition and energy he never had and thus may find the success he failed to attain. By borrowing Eugene’s identity, all his blood, skin, hairs, urine, Vincent found the key to the door that would open to his dream of becoming a nonpareil astronaut. He did step in the halls of Gattaca this time as an astronaut, biding his time for a year of rendezvous in the spaceship shuttle bound for Saturn’s moon Titan. But he found that the way is fraught with danger of being unmasked as a fraud, a heretic to a society which idolizes perfection. And the murder of the Mission Director, which pinpointed him as one of the suspects, after he lost an eyelash in the vicinity of the murder, was one major block to his dreams. With the Investigator (who turned out to be his long lost brother Anton) and Detective Hugo breathing down his trail, the screen sizzles with the question, “Can he make it to that sojourn to the outer space or will he be uncovered as a sham?” With the help of Eugene, who finally did a tour de force acting performance as himself in front of the sleuths and Irene (played by Uma Thurman), Vincent came out unscathed. But prior to boarding the space shuttle, Dr. Lamar unexpectedly made him 4 take a urine test. Viewers thought that Vincent had run out of luck but Dr. Lamar instead places in the computer Valid and explained that he also has an In-Valid son, who wants to follow in his footsteps and that all along he had known that he was an In-Valid by the way he was holding his penis with his left hand when he urinates. With the image of Vincent boarding the space shuttle was superimposed the image of Eugene incinerating himself to death, finally freeing himself from all the failures, resentments and frustrations and completely transferring his identity to Vincent. This is friendship unparalleled and pure. MOVIE MESSAGE The powerful message that the movie is trying to convey is that the real value of a human being is the inner strength and the purity of his indomitable spirit and his determination to transcend all difficulties and obstructions to win in the end and that no amount of genetic restructuring can produce a creature that is most valuable to society because eugenics only reaches the human flesh and can never reach the human spirit and the human will. Eugenics can never create courage, ambition, the will to live, to succeed and to love. VINCENT’S IDENTITY Vincent is classified as an In-Valid and thus society considers him worthless and as such he isn’t even considered as a citizen worth all the trouble to protect and probably to even include in the National Census. As far as the government is concerned, people like Vincent were just ‘a pain in the government ass’ and thus doesn’t deserve a national ID. His only worth is to provide 5 menial jobs to the Valids. Because government refuses to give him identity, he gave himself identity even if he has to borrow it or steal it. Identity was so important to him that he carried this ‘what the devil may care attitude’ if he gets unmasked for borrowing Eugene’s identity and when given the opportunity to borrow one, he grasped at it so desperately. For the first time, he can have access to governmental facilities and even the chance to love a Valid. The acquisition of a new identity was worth all the risk. To his immediate family and the other In-Valids he come into contact with, he exists but when the eyelash was identified, he suddenly existed and was known per computer data and that was because he once worked with Gattaca as janitor. GATTACA’S BEST PILOT Prior to the appearance of Vincent in the halls of Gattaca, the best pilot was judged according to the results of the analysis of one’s saliva, hairs, urine or blood. In other words, one’s genetic makeup prejudged one as the best pilot. Even when Vincent ‘applied’ as astronaut in Gattaca, there was no panel interview, written exams or any effort in his part to qualify and to impress everybody with his knowledge of astronomy. All that was asked of him was to submit a sample of his specimen and Jerome Eugene’s perfect genes convinced them that he is indeed the best pilot/astronaut. But Vincent as time went by, convinced everybody that he is the best pilot because he knew so much about astronomy and not because of Eugene’s genes. In fact the Mission Commander blurted out “If we get lost out there, nobody has a map of the heavens in his head like Jerome”. Even the Investigator aka Anton, finding Vincent ensconced in his position declared, “You’ve gone as far as you can go”, meaning he has piloted his way to the top despite imperfect genes and heart ailment and a prognosis that he has only up to 33 years to live. 6 Even, Irene kept mum about her discovery of Vincent’s identity because to her he is the best pilot in her heart. Dr. Lamar could have barred and uncovered him had he sensed that he has so much potential to be the best pilot there is and it would be a waste if he stands in the way. NATURE ACCORDING TO GATTACA PROJECT’MIND-SET Gattaca project was conceived to conquer nature and that is its status. Because the human genes had been manipulated to produce the best aviators and astronauts, it was cocksure it could tame nature and thus the unsullied wilderness that is the moon Titan. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the “universe is composed of nature and the soul” and “nature refers to essences unchanged by man: space, air, river, leaf” (2,3). Thus, to Gattaca Titan represents the ultimate object of challenge”. As to Director Josef, the murderer of the Mission Director, space exploration s prime concern but unsullied prestige and the honor of having engineered the mission to conquer space. Thus, the Mission Director had to be removed. NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE ACCORDING TO GATTACA PROJECT’S MIND-SET As the above question, Gattaca was also cocksure nothing can stop it from acquiring the knowledge of the universe, however distant it is from earth because the people are equipped with the right genes to obtain such knowledge. The murderer of the Mission Director knew that he cannot be a suspect because his genes say that he has no potential for violence and such knowledge kept him composed and worry-free. COUNTERPOINT BETWEEN ANTON AND DETECTIVE HUGO AS TO NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE Anton’s basis of knowledge was his personal experience of having truly known his brother and this knowledge is the basis of his conclusion that the owner of the 7 eyelash, who is definitely an In-Valid carrying the name Vincent Freeman and who is fraudulently passing himself off as a Valid, is his brother. Contrary to that was the knowledge of Detective Hugo, based on what he saw on the screen of the computer i.e. the face of Anton, that the culprit is Anton. The essence of that knowledge was based on the sample of the eyelash, that because of their fraternity status looked so similar. PROBABILITIES AS DEALT WITH BY VINCENT Vincent was aware of his imperfect genes and that since birth his future had been prejudged and thus, the probabilities seem to be insurmountable because they seem to damn his existence even from the very beginning. His probability of dying at the age of 33 was even constantly thrown in his face. But he refused to be cowed because he has this indomitable spirit and he dealt with all these by working hard, steeling his nerves and fighting all the vicissitudes that come his way by sheer guts, determination and will power. Yes, they are certainly real but so is his capability to transcend them, which are as real as these dour probabilities. PROBABILITIES AS DEALT WITH BY JEROME EUGENE The probabilities that Jerome will come out a winner in everything he does is almost 100% and thus society, family and friends had high expectations due to his perfect genes. But Jerome is no robot. He is also human who experiences disappointments and frustrations. But because, he was perfect he was not trained to deal with all these because even the probability that he will have disappointments and failings was also almost nil. He was brainwashed to believe that these probabilities were real. Thus, when things went awry, the fall was hardest and the psychological pain was deepest that he even attempted to commit suicide. 8 RAPPORT BETWEEN REAL AND IDEAL IN JEROME AND VINCENT Jerome and Vincent’s friendship and magnetic attraction to each other is based on the rapport between what’s real and ideal in them. Jerome’s ideal was to rule whatever undertaking he chose to enter into and now he has to face the reality that he failed badly to measure up to that ideal. All he has to do now is to prop up Vincent so he who’s ideally not suited for anything worthwhile will find the reality he wants to pursue i.e. attain his ambitions and excel in it. WHY JEROME IS NOT VERY GOOD AT BEING HIMSELF Jerome since birth had been positioned and readied to reach the ultimate in human achievement. Society never allowed him to be himself. He was treated like a robot who must fulfill what his genes predetermined him to achieve. As such, being himself was a strange territory so that when he had to face Anton and Detective Hugo for the intravenous blood test, he kept on retching because he was uncomfortable being himself. THE PIANIST- HUMAN BEING OR ROBOT The pianist with 6 fingers on each hand and who delivers an impeccable performance on each concert should be deemed a robot because his genes for musicality including his fingers’ structure were altered. These do not come from chromosomes from any parent but was implanted through the marvel of genetic engineering. COUNTERPOINT: KNOWLEDGE-AS-CONTACT VS. KNOWLEDGE-AS-CONTROL Knowledge-as-contact was exemplified very well by the relation of friendship between Jerome and Vincent, Vincent and Irene and even Anton and Vincent while knowledge-as-control was exemplified by the goings-on at Gattaca where knowledge is through the sampling of one’s urine, hair, blood, saliva and whatever registered on the screen of the computer. 9 HOW FAR ARE WE FROM EXPERIENCING THESE BIZARRE EVENTS? Cloning and all such attempts to tamper nature and God’s will had been with us for decades. Scientists love to play God and want to prove they can manipulate nature by coming up with creatures that are laboratory-designed. Dolly, the cow was such an offshoot. Test tube babies had been experimented with and seemingly, the venturesome activity met some ‘success’ but as the movie says there is no gene for the human spirit. 10 REFERENCES Gattaca, the Movie. 1997. Directed by Andrew Niccol. Starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law. Produced by Columbia Pictures Corp. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature. J. Munroe Corp., 1849, pp. 2-3. Read More