Gattaca

Title: Gattaca
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Drama, Sci Fi, Thriller, Romance
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, Uma Thurman

“I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the colour of your skin. No, we now have discrimination down to a science.”

Films that combine science fiction with drama in a manner that seems realistic and engaging to the viewer seem to come in short supply, but this is one example of a film that does precisely that. Displaying the future in a manner that seems entirely possible, a world where genetics have gone awry, leaving plenty of breathing for ethical debate but instead we are drawn into a story of making the most of your stance in life, an uplifting tale of the importance of self-confidence and following your ambitions, what it lacks in provocative thought it compensates in the tale being told.

Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) was one of the last of his kind, a ‘god-child,’ free from genetic tampering, born into a world where your interview consists of a blood test and you are told the most likely cause of your death before they cut your umbilical cord. It is this world he finds himself working as a janitor, dreaming of space flight – dreams dashed by his status as an ‘Invalid.’ Seeking help, he is introduced to Jerome Morrow (Jude Law), a ‘valid,’ or genetically enhanced man almost as close to perfection as is possible, wheel-chair bound after an accident. It is his genetic material he takes with him to his new-found job in the gattaca space program, faking his identity in return for allowing Jerome to stay with him. Quickly rising through the ranks of the space program, the director gets murdered just a week before his scheduled flight to Titan, and his invalid genetic material is discovered near the crime scene. With detectives desperately searching for him and the shadow of his ‘valid’ brother behind him, he slowly falls for colleague Irene Cassini (Uma Thurman), still desperate to remain hidden until the day he can escape the world that didn’t want him.

Despite the unusual time this is set, you rapidly become accustomed to the importance held by genetic material, where a blood test grants you access to the building and regular drugs tests double as a screening procedure, it all comes off natural and accepted as simply the way things are, and remain somewhat unquestioned except by the struggle of Vincent. The love interest feels poorly thought out, Thurman performing in a rather unbelievable wooden fashion, which coupled by Hawke’s frequent deadpan expression leaves a lot to be desired. His narration was adequately performed, but in a film such as this it could have delivered a far bigger impact given an improvement in directing and acting. As an aside to the main story we closely follow the character of Jerome, and whilst again certain things should have been emphasised more, the depressed character Jude Law portrays is far more striking than the main plot.

The soundtrack is rooted in classical music, but feels rather generic and poorly chosen, and much of the dialogue sounds as though it is attempting to be smarter than it really is, with lines like “I lent you my body, but you lent me your dream,” and “there is no gene for fate,” there was a wealth of situations to be explored but it felt all too content to simply accept the situation, everything spoon fed to the viewer in a fairly blatant manner. Despite these short comings, there is a constant underlining tension that whilst never reaching a climax, provides an ever present source of intrigue. The plot itself is relatively strong and flows seamlessly, and it is here that the film truly shines. This is a perfect example of a strong story waiting for a better director to do it justice.