Gattaca
Though my ability to fully appreciate this film has likely not been thorough enough to comprehend all the complexities of a reproductive DNA utopia, every time this movie is shown, I am able to discover a new layer of our present society and how this science fiction vision could not be very far from becoming reality.
Gattaca, a film by Andrew Niccol released in 1997, follows the life of Vincent Freeman, a man unaltered by the scientific genetic help of his day to improve his stamina, IQ, health, life expectancy, etc., in a large, genetically selected society. Being seen as an 'in-valid' due to his natural upbringing, the world created with this technology resurrects genetic discrimination not seen since the days of royal monarchs and World War II. Even his birth parents, who had elected him to be raised naturally, had their regrets when realizing how difficult a life Vincent would lead when pitted against other genetically enhanced individuals for professional jobs.
Vincent was often reminded of his inferiority in his youth due to his younger brother, Anton, besting him in most game challenges. Parents' consideration for their child to have a brighter future, as opposed to likely menial jobs, clearly plays a hand in the audience believing this to be such a rapidly accepted practice, but the film constantly questions the hidden prejudice that falls in line with this. It is only human nature to compete and want to rise above others, not to mention the want for specific characteristics of ourselves changed, but the culture bred has divided people so dramatically to the point where the natural raised cannot attempt to rise above where society places them.
The film poses a very real possibility for the future when these Gattaca degenerates face much bias for stereotypical inferiority (in terms of value for marriage partners, job, opportunities, living establishments, etc.) despite not going into any mental or physical assessments to compare their abilities. Despite attempting to hide your identity, both sides can easily find desperation when either not being able to prove yourself or not being able to live the life you wanted despite having every genetic planned out for you in advance, leaving you with a lack of motivation to rise believing you are incapable of doing so. This way of living was challenged when Vincent was able to fulfill his dream and prove his intelligence, but what would it take for our world to realize that everything falls to the unpredictability of life if we were subjected to genetic alteration?
I have personally never seen this movie before but I watched it last night. I found it interesting that it took a clear position against bio-engineering. While many advancements have been made since 1997, I believe this movie serves as a sort of warning about what could happen if we go too far. Bio-engineering today has improved healthcare significantly from prosthetics to artificial bones, and the big next thing is supposed to be 3-D printed organs. This movie makes me ask, what is the tipping point where the lifesaving technology of today turns into genetic essentialism?
ReplyDeleteNice job in the synopsis of the film. I'm not sure I have seen this one. I will have to look for this one. In a way our society is going in this direction now. Genetic modification or designer babies. I can totally see what happened in this film happen in the next 50 to 100 years. I mean it is all over the place now with our food right now. They are finding that this genetic modification in food now are actually bad because it isn't allowing for the plants natural abilities to adapt to nature, strips the nutrients from them, and makes the plant produce a pesticide that we as consumers eat. Great job with the film suggestion. It is a great reflection of the fears of the not so distant future.
ReplyDeleteI was shown this movie my 10th grade. It kind of freaked me out. It actually made me really scared for the future. We had to like question about what would happen if we were given the ability to choose what our children would look like and be like? Would we do it? Should we be given that choice? This would also lead to features being preferred over other features. This movie would be a good choice to show all the way through because there is just so much to think about. Technology advancement is a good thing but the biggest question we have to ask is, where do we draw the line?
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet heard of this film, but like the others before me I believe it would be a wonderful catalyst for in class discussion on what our opinions are on the subject of genetic alteration.
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