Gattaca

When I began watching Gattaca, I thought it was going to involve more action in the form of space exploration. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was more of a suspenseful and thought provoking film than it was an action flick. This dystopian film provides us with a commentary on the possible effects of genetic engineering on our current society. If people continue to tamper with genetics and biology, the only thing left to strive for is perfection. The desire to create the "perfect human" has surfaced in fiction throughout history; Mary Shelley's  Frankenstein and any of Stan Lee's Marvel creations are classic examples of literature that reflects the hope of the existence of "super" humans. You can never have a perfect human, however, because otherwise we would cease to be human. While humans are defined by their DNA and genetics, I also think they are defined by their nature. It is human nature to have flaws, recognize them, yet persevere. If everyone was perfect, we would lose that human nature and the human flaws that are fundamental to our existence.
 
I think it is interesting that Vincent has an obsession with space. Space is the "final frontier" that holds the promise of discovery and the thrill of the unknown. In our society, once the race to space died out, people found a new frontier and to do so, they looked inside themselves. There was a huge push for medical research and discovery starting in WWII but especially after the Cold War. Medical technology and knowledge increased exponentially thus leading towards genetic engineering. The dystopain society displayed in this film has exercised the medical frontier and is continuing onto the universal frontier. Vincent, while "lacking" genetically, has an infatuation with space starting at a young age. It is as if since his medical frontier was not pursued, he was destined to desire the exploration of the space frontier. While these "frontier" parallels may just be the result of coincidence, it seems that the idea of space and knowledge is very significant in this film; the writers could have chosen any field of study for Vincent to pursue, but I think space has a figurative significance that can only be discovered through film analysis.

I believe that Vincent's passion for space is also significant because the study of space requires extensive knowledge and capacity for both abstract and mathematical thinking. Vincent is one of the best and yet he was born naturally. This proves that genetic engineering only improves people physically; their mental capacities, while many times improved, are not necessarily better than those born naturally. I think that this acts as another commentary on the shallow and materialistic nature of our current society. We are so obsessed with our appearance, we want to "be" perfect. It is ironic that Jerome, who actually has everything anyone could ever want, became handicap after attempting to commit suicide. This brings to light the question of self worth and purpose: you can have everything and nothing at the same time. Jerome had the genetics and the IQ, but yet he lacked purpose, dreams, and goals; therefore, he committed suicide at the end of the film.