Gattaca Practise SAC
“That’s how I did it Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back.” Vincent defies and transcends
his destiny, and in doing this he inspires others. Discuss.
The 1997 film Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol, depicts a dystopian society where genetics and
the quest for perfection rule the world. The film follows the story of Vincent Freeman, a man who
overcomes his destiny, from being an In-Valid (inferior being) to a Valid (superior being). Vincent
overcomes his own pre-determined fate, which not only helps Vincent strive to reach his goals, but
also inspires others he knows. Jerome Morrow, a friend who he had an agreement with, becomes
inspired by Vincent’s own actions and decides to complete his own goals. Irene, Vincent’s love
interest through the movie, soon see’s that, by looking at what Vincent has done, genes do not
necessarily determine how far someone can go in the world. Dr Lamar, the doctor working in the
Gattaca building, takes motivation from seeing Vincent and directs that to his son.
Vincent Freeman, the movies protagonist, overcomes his own fate and destiny to become a greater
person. When we see a younger Vincent in the flashback scenes, he is an In-Valid, which in that
world, means you do not possess the desired genes. Vincent has myopia, a 99% chance of a heart
condition, was supposed to live to the age of 30 and was constantly shunned aside. In the scene
where Vincent’s parents visit their local geneticist, we see him from a high-angle, which can suggest
how powerless he is and how vulnerable he is in that world. When Vincent wants to attend school,
the principal shuts the gates on them, shadowing Vincent with bars. The director is showing how InValids are treated in this world (barred from opportunities because of their genes). When Vincent’s
little brother Anton grows up, they play “chicken” in the ocean. Vincent always comes last,
emphasising Anton’s strength, as he is a genetically superior Valid. During one particular “chicken”
race, Vincent wins, while Anton nearly drowns. There is climatic music playing at this moment, and
the camera is at eye-level, giving a sense of realism. The film focuses on the ocean, showcasing the
purity of nature and the importance of flaws. The scene ends with Vincent having to drag Anton back
to shore. This is a crucial moment in the film, as Vincent has defied what should have been the
impossible. The music in this scene has emphasised the violins, and generally gets louder and builds
up during this scene, but it is uplifting, unveiling Vincent’s newfound determination. He then
becomes someone else, Jerome Morrow, by using his DNA samples to help get into Gattaca. Vincent
goes through a costume change, from shabby clothes to professional, clean suits, giving us the
notion that he has risen in society, by becoming a Valid. He then begins to work in Gattaca, and soon
leaves for Titan, a job that was never meant for In-Valids. Before he leaves, he participates in
another “chicken” race with Anton, in which he wins again. When Anton questions how Vincent
could have possibly won again, Vincent tells him, “This is how I did it Anton. I never saved anything
for the swim back.” This is a significant quote, as it demonstrates Vincent’s determination to rise up
from the slums and overcome what was written down for him. In this scene, the camera shows the
landscape using an extreme long shot which captures the ocean with a glimpse of Anton and Vincent
swimming, revealing that Anton and Vincent are basically the same, there are no real differences
between them. By working in Gattaca and achieving his dreams, Vincent encourages others he
knows to go after their own goals.
Jerome Eugene Morrow, the man Vincent becomes, is touched by Vincent’s actions, and wants to
finish off his own goals. Jerome is a paraplegic from a botched suicide attempt, but before this, he
was a swimming star, whose greatest achievement was coming second. When we first meet Jerome,
he is a selfish, arrogant person who is cast in shadows, which signifies that he is a mysterious person
and isn’t very open. During the course of his friendship with Vincent, he reveals that he tried to
commit suicide because he didn’t reach his full genetic potential, but failed and ended up in a
wheelchair. During the course of the film, we see Jerome’s personality change. He becomes a better
man for helping out Vincent. We see Jerome in more light, which showcases that he is opening up to
us and to Vincent. In one particular scene of the film, Jerome has to pose as Vincent, and completes
the great physical feat of dragging himself up the stairs. The stairs, as they look like a DNA strand,
represents Jerome overcoming his own destined fate and helping out someone who needed it.
Before, Jerome saw what he had become, and accepted that he was going to be like that forever.
Climbing the staircase, he realises he has overcome his beliefs of what his life would be, and
therefore becomes a better person. In the last scenes, when Vincent leaves for Titan, we can
examine how much of an impact Vincent has on Jerome when Jerome tells Vincent, “I only lent you
my body, you leant me your dream.” As Vincent takes off in the ship, Jerome climbs into the
incinerator, and finally ends his life. The editing of this scene has cut-aways, from Vincent to Jerome,
and looking at their relationship. Neither would have achieved their dreams had they not met eachother, so we regard the scene as seeing them achieve their great goals with the help of the other.
The editing also includes parallel-action, as they are both doing different actions at the same time.
There is a close-up of Jerome’s 2nd place medal in the flames, revealing that he has finally done what
he has wanted to do for a very long time. His medal has a gold colour from the flames, signifying
courage and the integrity Jerome now possesses. Jerome has taken a leaf from Vincent’s pages, and
gained courage to accomplish his ambitions.
Irene is Vincent’s love interest throughout the movie, and learns from Vincent that perfection isn’t
everything that matters in this world. Irene works for Gattaca and also dreams of leaving for Titan,
but as the has a heart disorder, she cannot leave the confines of Earth. As she spends more time
with Vincent , she becomes more carefree. On her date with Vincent at the concert hall, we see her
with her hair down and a flowing dress, making her look more open and natural, as she is usually
seen wearing business suits and with her hair in a bun. As the movie progresses, she begins to fall in
love with Vincent. She takes Vincent to see the sun rise with her. The director used the colour gold
as the dominant colour, showing warmth and the deepening of their relationship. When we see
Vincent and she spend the night together, we see her the next day wearing baggy clothes and her
hair a bit messy. As she learns that the Jerome she knew was actually Vincent, her facial expression
shows one of betrayal. Vincent tries to reason with her and tell her that genetics aren’t everything,
by saying, “They’ve got you looking so hard for any flaw that after a while that’s all you see.” In this
moment, Irene can see that flaws do no tell you how someone will behave or act, as she has seen
Vincent overcome his own flaws. Vincent also tells Irene that she is the authority of what is
impossible or not. Irene then places this epiphany to her, and learns that her heart-defect does not
determine what she can or can’t do. She accepts that perfection is not the only thing that matters in
the world, and it is possible to change your destiny, with a few helpful words from Vincent.
Dr Lamar, the resident doctor at Gattaca, helps Vincent to achieve his dream, but takes inspiration
from Vincent’s own performance. Dr Lamar takes care of all of the medical examinations in Gattaca,
including Vincent’s. Dr Lamar is only ever seen wearing a lab coat and working with scientific
equipment, again, emphasising the importance of science in that day and age. He is also seen with a
blue colour around him, indicating that he works in a cold, depressing area. Vincent not only inspires
Dr Lamar, but Dr Lamar inspires Vincent. During the last medical examination before the workers
leave for Titan, Dr Lamar takes Vincent’s blood straight from the vein, while he talks about his son.
He quips up, “Unfortunately, my son’s not all that they promised,” foreshowing that his son is an InValid. He tells Vincent that his son is a big fan of his, and hopes to work in Gattaca one day. We see a
close-up of the screen, where Vincent’s profile has just been shown. Dr Lamar then changes the
machine to identify Vincent as a Valid from the on. Dr Lamar was roused by how far Vincent had
gone in the Gattaca world, and wanted to help his son in the same way.
Vincent’s own path to his dreams also affected the people around him, and helps them through the
course of the film. Jerome is emboldened by how he has helped Vincent and what Vincent has done
for him, which leads to Jerome striving to achieve his own goal, which he ultimately does. Irene
learns how there is no point trying to achieve perfection and see’s the importance of determination.
Dr Lamar was encouraged by Vincent’s own path, and would like that to happen for his son. Vincent
only wanted to leave Earth, but his own actions changed the course of everyone’s life for the better.