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By Robert Scucci | Published
When life’s obstacles tell you that you will never be the best version of yourself, it’s natural to want to fight back and prove everyone wrong. 1997 Gattaca plays with that notion, using eugenics as a vehicle while laughing at the predetermined outcomes of fate. Far from being a box office success, Gattaca runs the risk of being lost to time despite its 82 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its message, however, remains timeless and more relevant than ever.
An obsessive study of identity and ambition, Gattaca is one of those movies that not only makes you believe in yourself, but also shows that becoming your best self is not a birthright. It’s something you have to fight for.
Valid vs valid
Set in a not-too-distant dystopian future where genetics determine social class, Gattaca It centers on Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), an invalid who is expected to live only to age 30 due to his genetic inferiority. Every opportunity in life is taken away from him, while his parents, Antonio and Marie (Jayne Brook), groom his younger brother Anton (Loren Dean) for success. Dreaming of traveling to space, Vincent begins training at a young age, pushing his body and mind to the limits to prove that he is capable of doing more than his DNA suggests.
Knowing he’s been dealt a bad hand in life, Vincent stacks the deck by assuming the identity of Jerome Morrow (Jude Law), a genetically superior athlete who is paralyzed after a car accident. Jerome, who kept his accident a secret, agrees to let Vincent use his identity in exchange for room and board. With Jerome providing blood, urine, and hair samples, Vincent lands a job at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, but pretending to be someone else isn’t as simple as showing up.
Gattaca conducts daily DNA tests, forcing Vincent to develop a meticulous routine to conceal his identity. He constantly exfoliates, hides blood under synthetic fingerprints, and regularly exchanges urine samples. Every day is a bet. If he is discovered to be an invalid, everything he has built will collapse and not even he knows all the consequences.
A murder mystery can ruin everything
Things become more complicated when Gattaca’s administrator is found murdered and an unregistered invalid tab is discovered at the crime scene. Meanwhile, Vincent, who is weeks away from achieving his lifelong dream of traveling to Saturn, begins a romance with Irene Cassini (Uma Thurman), a high-risk validation who has also been told she will never amount to much. Their relationship is based on deception, as Irene suspects that Vincent is not who he says, but she can’t resist seeing how far he will go.
Anton, now a detective investigating the murder, suspects that an invalid is responsible for the murder, but does not realize that it could be his brother. With the Saturn mission approaching, Vincent must choose between his old life and his new; the identity with which he was born and the one he has built. Desperate to prove that “invalid” is just a label, Vincent’s mission becomes bigger than himself.
An excellent examination of eugenics
Gattaca The central idea is simple: individuals, not society, define their outcomes. Vicente was told he was weak, so he became strong. He was told he would not live past 30 and focused on his health. He was told he would never work for Gattaca, but he did anyway thanks to his skill and perseverance. The irony is that if your secret is ever discovered, your achievements will be dismissed as fraud, no matter how hard you worked.
That tension between what we are told we can be and what we prove to be makes us Gattaca infinitely relevant. The film criticizes a world obsessed with perfection and at the same time defends the human spirit that refuses to conform. Strangely, Gattaca The limited availability on streaming platforms reflects its own theme of exclusion. It’s as if this critically acclaimed modern classic should also prove its worth to the public through on-demand rentals instead of having its rightful place in the spotlight.
An intelligent and disturbing reflection on eugenics and self-determination. Gattaca It remains essential viewing for anyone who has ever doubted its potential. If you are willing to push yourself to the limit without saving energy for the way back, Gattaca It is only available for rental on demand through Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV+, YouTubeand Fandango at home at the time of writing this article.
