Gattaca Film Analysis

The film Gattaca presents a world in the “not too distant future,” where human beings are judged and defined solely by their genetic make-up, a world in which the scientific determination of one’s existence is placed over faith, religion, and free-will. Parents have the ability to choose their children’s genes and can essentially create the “perfect” child through ensuring that their best hereditary traits are passed on. Those who are conceived naturally are referred to as “God-children”, children of “faith” or “invalids”, and are viewed as inferiors, doomed to second class society. Vincent Freeman and Jerome Morrow, Gattaca’s two main characters, defy this scientifically predestined world, and through one another are able to triumph over the limitations that society sets forth for them.
Vincent, a man of imperfection, defies all odds and triumphs over all expectations. From birth, Vincent is considered to possess numerous health risks, including a heart defect, which leads the doctors to conclude that he will not live past the age of thirty. From the time that he could conceive the idea, Vincent dreamed of traveling to space. However, due to the fact that he was a “God child,” and because he possessed inferior genes, he was considered to be unworthy of a career of high standards and intellect such as that of space exploration. He manages to reach his dream of being an astronaut by impersonating a genetically superior “valid,” whose name is Jerome. Jerome was a once highly acclaimed swimmer, but broke his back after walking in front of a car while attempting to commit suicide after a “disappointing” second place finish at a championship swim competition. Vincent essentially pays Jerome for his identity, and through using his “valid” DNA (hair, urine, blood, tissue samples), he manages to pass screening and is accepted to work at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation; it is evident that the one factor that determined Vincent’s career as a space explorer was his genes, not