Film Review : Gattaca And Gattaca

In a society where genetic superiority and engineering to create the ‘perfect’ person is a priority over all else, it would be a normal assumption that society would be a better place and people would be much happier, but in Gattaca it is quite the opposite. From the beginning of the film we see haunting images of the uniformity and soulless behaviour of the Gattaca employees. All people regardless of race, gender, class or age should have an equal opportunity to strive to their full potential if desired, but the society of Gattaca represses the potential of many capable people simply because they are

Andrew Niccol’s ‘Gattaca’ explores a science-driven society where there are two classes – the invalids and the valids. The underclass ‘invalids’ or ‘faith birth’ individuals are forced to accept limited opportunities for advancement and the ‘natural’ valids, whose access to any job is based on their genetic make-up. ‘Gattaca’ shows that no matter how you are defined by your genetic makeup, you will not get anywhere in life without determination.

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." (Forrest Gump)

Both the film Gattaca (directed by Andrew Niccole) and the novel Brave New World (written by Aldous Huxley) are of the dystopian genre and explore the notions of mass control and freedom; or lack of freedom. Both societies are controlled by a totalitarian dictatorship that push their suppressive ideologies- genoism in Gattaca, and the complete eradication of viviparous births and the implementation of a caste system in Brave New World. Characters in both dystopian worlds challenge the rules and expectations of their societies. In Brave New World, Bernard Marx and John Savage rebel against the World State, albeit to different extents. In Gattaca, Vincent Freeman and Jerome ‘Eugene’ Morrow oppose their society ruled by genoism.

Gattaca is a movie that contains a very interesting society. As in all societies, discrimination exists and it is primarily between two groups. The valids, as they are called here, are the dominant group who oppress the group known as the invalids, which is the group consisting of the less privileged individuals. However, in this society, privileged and less privileged does not refer to the individuals in terms of wealth or power, but instead, in terms of genetics. Here, discrimination has been reduced down to genes, and this determines your place in society.

In Gattaca parents can choose to have a “Godchild” or not; while in Brave New World embryo’s are automatically genetically engineered. Having a choice is a symbol of free will and

Due to this mindset, job discrimination occurs all over the planet. The viewer is informed, "Of course it is illegal to discriminate, genoism it is called, but no one takes the law seriously" (Gattaca). Similarly, in To Kill a Mockingbird, racism in the South is seen as a natural way of life, nobody saw anything odd about it. In the movie, Vincent Freeman, an Invalid, believes that there is more to his life then what the doctors and society predict. Ever since he was a young child, he has had one dream: to be a navigator at Gattaca space center. At birth, Vincent was diagnosed with a 99% chance of heart failure, making him nearly useless to the people at Gattaca space center. He tells his father that he still has a one percent change of not being affected by heart disease and that he'll take it, but his father replies that the management at Gattaca would not. Vincent is not an only child; he has a genetically engineered brother named Anton who is far superior to him on paper. Despite Vincent's imperfections, he is able to beat his brother in a swim race, proving to himself that he is capable of reaching his goals. Many people that are discriminated against like Vincent see themselves as they are told. Vincent tells Irene, "They have got you looking so hard for any flaw, that after awhile that is all that you see" (Gattaca). At the beginning of Vincent's career at Gattaca, he is a lowly janitor, longing to be on the other side of

Altough both the movie “Gattaca” and the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley are based on perfections done on the future and how science has taken over the world, they both have similarities and differences. Vincent, the main character on Gattaca has more inner strenght than Bernard and John (main characters of Brave New World) who were not happy with themselves for not been a perfection.They are also similar in the way that they rebel against their societies.

At first look, the world of Gattaca seems like a Utopia. Their development in genetic modification is so advanced that illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases or disorders based upon genetics are greatly reduced, if not eliminated altogether. Endeavors like the Olympics or other athletic competitions would be pushed to entirely new heights as the athletes are literally designed to surpass our current limitations. Science could be advanced even further as the modifications allowed newborns to have a far greater chance of developing intelligence on the higher end of the IQ scale. Each piece of progress that is shown in the movie has incredible potential to save and improve millions of lives. Unfortunately, the great

Social inequality stems from many facets of life and mindsets reproduced continuously in America. The main backbone of systematic inequality is formed off of race, gender and class, which all contain crucial aspects that further oppress those subjected to inequality in various aspects of life. The resources-schools, occupations, invested parents- around one fuels the opportunity in their lives, a concept highlighted by Malcom Gladwell, in his book, Outliers. Situations one are brought up in or uncontrollable genetic aspects can very easily restrain their opportunities. Racial discrimination, gender roles and inferiority and the lack of fluidity in the low and working class push inequality, which simultaneously influencing the rich and privileged.

Both Gattaca and Brave new world have caste systems that are based on your birth. In both stories your life is dependent on genes and how you are born. Both caste systems have groups that all citizens are categorized. “Where the alphas and betas remained until definitely bottled: while the gammas, deltas and epsilons were brought out again, after only thirty-six hours, to undergo Bokanovsky’s Process.”(Huxley pg6). The Alphas and betas are left in the incubators longer and they become smarter and their minds develop more, so since they stay

The social structure within Gattaca is simple. You are either a Valid or an Invalid. There is no in between. Invalids do no associate with Valids and so on. If you are a Valid, you have power, prestige and property. You can obtain a good job, secure a future with a perfect mate, have perfect children and do all the “right” things. If you are an Invalid you are destined to poverty and no power along with

Gone are the days where modern day factors like merit and aptitude dominate. With the rise of genetic engineering as a social norm, congenital difference now becomes the main discerning factor differentiating the human population as the obsession with perfection grows stronger. This promotes both genetic stratification and genetic discrimination. Narrated by Vincent Freeman, the story of Gattaca is told through his eyes. Viewers are able to catch a glimpse of Vincent’s life and his struggles in attempting to escape the genetic hierarchical system he was born in. Vincent does so in order to fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut, a dream that was never meant to be realized for someone like Vincent. The film utilises many techniques such as flashbacks, metaphors and relationship dynamics to supplement the film’s plot and shows us how a idealized utopian society is impossible through the story of

Gattaca is an American based science fiction cinema directed by Andrew Niccol in 1997. The movie is set shortly where social class is demarcated by the genetic composition. Eugenics, which is the methodology of conceiving babies via genetic manipulation, has become the most typical process of giving birth (Niccol, 2015). Though discrimination is unlawful, the D.N.A analysis has become an ordinary procedure, and those who were naturally conceived are seen as ‘invalids’, which makes discriminated in various, for instance, resulting in being given minor jobs. Therefore, this research presents the summary, the biocultural phenomenon, and the real world implications of Gattaca (1997) movie.

The movie Gattaca is based in the distant future. The people are defined by their genetic information. In this movie, “natural” born children are classed as invalids, whereas people that are genetically created and modified are valid. The invalids are basically just as their name, invalid and must get a regular job, nothing spectacular. One of the main characters, Vincent Freeman, is the last child to be “naturally born”. After his birth, the doctors tell his parents that he has a life span of 30.2 years and there are so many genetic related things that are wrong with him. For all his childhood life, he is treated as if he is ill and sick all the time. Any little thing such as falling, or scraping his knee, is treated as if he is about to die. The couple then has another son, Anton. He is conceived by the new normal, genetic selection. He is now considered superior to Vincent. The father’s name is Anton and the second son takes his name because he is not genetically shortcoming. As a young boy Vincent has dreams of having a career working in space, but because of his invalid status, it will not be possible for him to get into the program. The brothers would often play a game called “chicken”. In this game, they would both swim out into the sea. Whoever turns around and starts to swim back first loses. One day while playing this game, Vincent actually wins. The one that is inferior actually wins. Anton begins to drown and Vincent must save him. After he wins the game, he