Notes on Gattica (1997)

Director/Writer : Andrew Niccol (also wrote The Lord of War, S1m0ne, The Terminal, and The Truman Show)

Producer: Danny DeVito

Notes on Gatttaca

• Vincent -> Jerome
• Jerome -> Eugene
• Brother: Anton (eventually detective)

Opening titles

• What is the significance of the opening shower scene?  Why is he scrubbing himself

The Not-Too-Distant Future

• Why does Jerome keep his workstation so clean?
• “I don’t know why my folks didn’t order one like that for me”—Jerome’s penis
• Remarks by Lamar about his son
• A genetic quotient second to none

Ten Fingers, Ten Toes

• Exaggeration about knowing exact time and cause of death. 
• Father changes name from Anton to Vincent Anton
• Thought of myself as others thought of me—chronically ill
• Turned away from school because of insurance

The “natural” way

• Diseases, yes…
• Still you, simply the best of you
• Brother: Anton. A son my father considered worthy of his name

The unspoken contest

• Swimming scene between Anton and Vincent
• Game of chicken—who would get scared and turn back first
• Vincent’s mother: you have to be realistic…

Discrimination down to a science

• My real resume was in my cells
• Genoism—discrimination.  It’s illegal to discriminate, but no one bothers about the law
• Last swimming contest – Anton almost drowns.  The moment that made everything else possible.
• A new underclass…we now have discrimination down to a science

The DNA broker

• There is no gene for fate
• Their genetic identity becomes a target for the unscrupulous
• “when was the last time anyone looked at a photograph?”
• Question: why does the DNA broker say it will be easy to pass as Jerome.

Becoming Jerome

• Myopia a problem
• I guess no one orders southpaws anymore
• Jerome only got a silver medal swimming—only second best
• The original Jerome now gets called Eugene

Interview

• What about the interview?  That was it.

The “Hoovers”

• A “borrowed ladder” a de-gen-erate
• Murder of the Director
• Irene to assist the investigation
• Hoovers are “J Edgars”

Cavendish Club

• Checking DNA from a strand of hair
• “9.3  Quite a catch.”

IN-VALID

• Eugene admits he intentionally stepped in front of car

The eyelash

• Piece of eyelash shows up as in-valid for Irene
• Arkin’s boss is Jerome’s brother, Vincent
• Vincent does not take eyelash seriously, whereas Arkin suspects the invalid
• Now there are enough of the right kind of people…no one exceeds his potential …if he does, it just means we didn’t properly calculate his potential.  Indicates an a priori article of faith about human nature.
• Notice their unwillingness to perceive counter-evidence

Irene’s confession

• She confesses that she had him sequenced, read his profile
• Admits she has an acceptable likelihood of heart failure, internalizes her DNA info
• What is the significance of Jerome dropping Irene’s strand of hair and saying “I’m sorry, the wind caught it.”

A close call

• They won’t believe one of their elite could have suckered them this whole time
• When they look at you. They don’t see you anymore.  They only see me.

Random checkpoint

• Piano for six fingers…that piece can only be played with twelve
• Can’t see to cross the road
• Irene wants to watch the sun rising over the solar panels

Blood from the vein

• What is “a borrowed ladder?”

The Dance

• Eugene does dance moves alone in the wheelchair
• Dancing at the club
• What was in the pillbox?

“Who is Vincent?”

• Irene asks the question
• Followed by scene on the beach

The morrow

• Vincent scrubs himself with rocks and sand on  beach

Irene’s warning

• Irene warns Jerome to go home

The investigator’s visit

• Arkin seems to find something on the mission director’s body
• Arkin’s boss goes to see Jerome Morrow.

An overlooked specimen

• A fate birth, a de-gene-erate, a love child
• It is possible

The confrontation

• Arkin found the spit in the director’s eye
• Jerome confronts the investigator, his brother Anton.  I don’t need any rescuing.  You didn’t beat me that day, I beat myself.
• Repeat of the swimming contest 
• This is how I did it.  I never saved anything for the swim back 

The other side

• We’re closer to the other side
• Irene realizes he couldn’t see, but crossed the street anyway

Travelling too

• Eugene leaves samples for the future, planning his own death

“for future reference…”

• Final check before going into space
• Lamar talks about his son
• Lamar probably knew—or at least suspected—all along

Going home

• Eugene commits suicide by fire, destroying his any trace of his body
• Jerome wears Eugene’s medal into space
• In package, strands of hair

Themes in Gattaca

• What is the place of the will in a world of genetic determinism?
• Even if genetic determinism is not true, would we make it true by believing in it?
• Notice the Orwellian use of language
• How do we draw a line between therapy and enhancement?
• The six-fingered pianist
• Public pressure toward genetic enhancement
• What scenes did you concentrate on?
• Notice no need for video surveillance