GATTACA
Gattaca is a 1997 science fiction film by director/screenwriter Andrew Niccol, starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law and Alan Arkin.
It combines a Hollywood action/adventure plot with a vision of a future that some reviewers thought was intelligent and mature, in which genetic testing and eugenic genetic engineering has altered mankind to such an extent that children conceived by traditional sexual reproduction are members of an underclass.
Recent developments in genetic diagnosis of inherited diseases and the real-world technologies of
in vitro fertilisation and
Spoiler warning:
Plot or ending details follow.
In a society in which genetic engineering is common and DNA determines what opportunities people have, Vincent (Hawke), was concieved without the aid of this technology and suffers from nearsightedness and a congenital heart defect. Facing discrimination and prejudice, the only way he can achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut is to impersonate someone else. He hires a former Olympic athlete, Jerome Eugene Morrow (Law), who was crippled in an accident, to supply him with DNA samples which will allow Vincent to assume his identity. The plan works perfectly until a mission director is murdered and a trace of Vincent's own DNA is found at the crime scene. Now Vincent must evade ever-increasing security as the mission launch date approaches and he pursues a romance with a co-worker, Irene (Thurman).
Trivia
- The name of the film is derived from GATTACA, an arbitrary DNA base pair sequence. The recent publication of the human genome sequence reveals that GATTACA, along with most other short base-pair sequences, occurs commonly throughout the human genome.
- To create an eerie atmosphere of ubiquitous physical perfection, the director cast fashion models as extras.
- Vincent's brother Anton is his Antagonist, whereas 'Eugene' means 'well born'.
- Gattaca is partially filmed in Marin County at the Marin County Civic Center, which is called "Gattaca" in the movie.
- Most of the interior of Gattaca, though, is filmed in Hollywood, except for scenes near escalators.
- Well-known American author Gore Vidal is cast as Director Josef.
- The public announcement system of Gattaca is spoken in Esperanto.
See also
