 | The promo posters and DVD cases for Gattaca carry the truism, "there is no gene for the human spirit," and that theme defines this movie from its opening lines to its triumphant conclusion.
In Gattaca's dystopian future, genetic engineering has enabled parents to screen zygotes to eliminate any chance of genetic disadvantage--and in the process, spawned a new science of discrimination, with those conceived through intercourse ("in-valids," or "faith-births") relegated to perform the most menial and thankless jobs, regardless of their individual skills and talents. Vincent Freeman, an in-valid, dreams of space travel and refuses to resign himself to the destiny society has prescribed for him. To gain employment at a private space exploration firm, Vincent turns to a black market where "borrowed ladders"--genetically pure individuals--sell their precious genetic material to those who need it to pursue their goals.
Penned by the same screenwriter as The Truman Show, Gattaca is the story of a culture so obsessed with genetic determinism that doctors foretell the destiny of babies minutes after they are born: "40% chance manic-depression, 89% chance attention-deficit-disorder, probability of heart dysfunction, 99%. Life expectancy 30.2 years." Vincent is told by his parents, his coworkers, and his brother to commit his impossible ambition to the flames. He nonetheless persists, achieving results that surpass those of even the most carefully selected "pure births."
This movie does have a few caveats. At times it is so skeptical of genetic engineering's benefits, you'd think it had been written as a propaganda piece for the President's Council on Bioethics, and the score can get a bit dreary at times. These are, however, just minor blemishes on a an otherwise fine film that's very much in tune with the Objectivist sense of life.
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