"Gattaca" (1997) - Movie Review

“Gattaca” is a science fiction film which does not compromise its concept, drama or the emotions for any thing a science fiction film would fall for. This is a faithful and loyal film about how much futuristic advancement humans can make and how much the sociological advances are equally crooked to be unfair. Thus is one Vincent Anton (Mason Gamble as a boy and Chad Christ as teen while adult Vincent as Ethan Hawke), a natural born child analyzed a 30.2 years probable life time with heavy heart condition plausibility. The term natural born comes because the film starts with the presumption on the genetic predictability the medical field has undergone that they can manufacture the best children, a grade A talented mind and the body to equal that challenge.

Being unfulfilled with a “damaged” child, his parents (Jayne Brook and Elias Koteas) go for the genetic perfect brother Anton (Vincent Nielson as a boy and William Lee Scott as teen Anton). Vincent’s child hood is surrounded by caution and fear while as a boy his dreams are belittled by his father. He aspires to be an astronaut, a job for the highly qualified genetically built people. Whatever the real potential and strengths one can exceed diminishes.

There is a limit to the potential and that is determined by the programming of the gene. A hair strand, saliva, blood, urine and innumerably minuscule dirt replicating each of us become the scaling factor for everything. This angers Vincent and he leaves his home to only find a more discriminating and degrading posse. He and others of his genetic nature are called “In-Valid” and put to menial work. He works as a janitor in the very same building Gattaca which he dreams of working as an astronaut.

The vicinity and the frustrating far fetched reach of it makes him go for alternatives. Through a “special” person (Tony Shalhoub), Vincent meets Jerome (Jude Law) the best in everything. He wants to lose his identity in fear of shame and ego. He is crippled now but his genes carry his potential. The identity swap starts and actually this is where the film starts. All the previous scenarios with a brilliant narrative run on to make us come to the pace. There is a swimming competition among the brothers which is not a melodramatic tool for hope and courage but a convincing plot to mark the nature of human kind of the same characteristics.

The film starts as any futuristic movies would begin with blue tinted shaded and polished neat furniture and surfaces to shine, perfectly arranged tables with contemporary fashions. More than that there is the dress code of rigorously business attired and all the people walking as a robot in a uniform fashion which turned me off. But director Andrew Nicol makes us believe in this future which does not have flying cars (rather all classic American cars) but a very high possibility in the genetic research. He takes that and pins on an identity drama and thriller. It talks about the extremity of a human and the social impairment and judgment the science brings on.

Vincent having acquired the samples of Jerome (which means blood and urine) goes for the interview. His urine is tested in a machine and says valid. The doctor who does that, Dr. Lamar (Xander Berkeley) says the interview is over. Today the ultimate say on a universally accepted and rejected philosophy or happenings is based on science. Religion and science are the opposing forces of each other trying to make and not make sense in between them. And here a religion gets born based on the scientific conclusions, “Valids” and “In-Valids”. How much incapable humans are to be without judgments and discriminations.

This is a sad film too in the character of Vincent who fights and goes through enormous pressure and physical pain of racing through his dream. It is an even sadder film when a Valid Jerome is consumed and ultimately gives up to the expectation of the world towards him. “Gattaca” cuts deeper in to the current society through a science fiction film which solidly uses the underlying factor of excellence in science to its plot points. There are nail biting scenes of intelligent thrill moments and as the style of the film, it gives a future very much in front of our eyes.

This is not the CGI fireworks or an enormous glance at a much confused and glamorous L.A or Chicago or New York. “Gattaca” does not even name the city it happens because the film does not need those. It has more human psychology and sociology to analyze than to glorify the modernity over a CGI aerial shot. It does not want to gaze us into the grandeur fantasy of glamour but a possible peek into our future and a shivering subtle comparison to the current society. Beyond that it gives the unfurling flag of human possibilities and limitless hope in this bleak society.