Movie Review: Gattaca

Vincent Freeman was born into a futuristic society dominated by biological technology. In this society, genetic technology has become so advanced, a drop of blood at the time of your birth can tell you any diseases you might develop the day you will die. More importantly, wealthy parents can choose to have their unborn children engineered to be as perfect as their potential would allow. This type of technology created a prejudice society of the genetically altered against “natural-borns.” Vincent’s parents did not have the foresight to know that the future of a natural-born would be laden with prejudice and discrimination, and they conceived him through the power of love, rather than technology. A young, naïve Vincent spent his youth dreaming of becoming an astronaut, only to one day have his father sit him down and tell him that he was barely capable of cleaning a rocket ship, nonetheless operating one. Because of his inherited flaws and his natural born status, Vincent had no hope of succeeding in this society.

Despite the discrimination Vincent remained inspired, destined to one day travel to space. Vincent grew up with a genetically engineered brother who enjoyed all the luxuries of perfect genes and the label of a “Valid” member of society, but one day Vincent beat his brother in a swimming competition and saved him from drowning. That day he knew the “Valids” could be beaten and he could succeed in this society despite the discrimination.

Vincent enlisted the help of a man who essentially sold the identities and DNA of others who were “Valid” and genetically superior. The identity of the man who Vincent would soon become belonged to Jerome Murrow. Jerome was a champion swimmer who has broken his back, leaving h...

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... because the insurance of the school wouldn’t be able to cover such a risk. As Vincent grew up, he could not gain employment into any high-class job because his genome suggested he was “inferior” or this potential health conditions were too much of a liability for a company to handle. These situations are very possible in today’s society as well. If a health insurance company obtained an applicants genetic code, they may charge that person ten times more than another because their genome suggests a higher probability of developing a heart condition. If an employer discovered an applicant’s genome suggested mental instability, they may choose to hire another individual who may seem more promising based on their genetic code. While today’s society has not reached the level of blatant discrimination showcased in Gattaca, the potential for “genoism” is very real.