Gattaca

Gattaca

The morality of genetic selection is explored in Gattaca. Although set in the future the technological developments are downplayed with a sterile, featureless working environment and retro looking cars. The focus is on undesirable changes to society, in a similar vein to A Clockwork Orange, 1984 and Blade Runner.

New Zealand born Andrew Niccol is the director and screen writer of Gattaca. He is also the screen writer of The Truman Show which has some similarities. The movies share the general theme of an individual triumphing over an artificial society and the specific theme of venturing out into the ocean.

The tagline of the movie is that there is no gene for the human spirit. The main character (Ethan Hawke) shows he has the spirit to compensate for the physical genetic weakness that life has dealt him. Through a DNA broker Hawke arranges to take on the identity of a crippled man with impeccable genes (Jude Law.)

In the movie's parlance Hawke becomes a "borrowed ladder." This is one of many references to DNA in the movie. Hawke's character is seen playing with a toy DNA strand as a young child, Law's apartment features a spiral staircase and the four letters used in the word "Gattaca" are the initial letters of the four DNA nucleotides (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine.)

The acting performances of Hawke and the leading lady (Uma Thurman) are restrained by the nature of their characters. The actor who steals the show is Law. At the beginning of the movie he is a bitter and twisted man wallowing in self-pity and resentment for the world. Initially Law despises Hawke for having inferior genes but he comes to admire Hawke's spirit and determination to succeed against the odds. In a significant scene Law shows he has spirit too when he hauls himself up his spiral staircase.

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