Gattaca

Written and directed by Andrew Niccol

1997

Starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Loren Dean, Gore Vidal

Are you familiar with any of the actors or other films they have appeared in?

The film opens with two quotes, which seem to express opposing ideas:

“Consider God’s handiwork: who can straighten what he hath made crooked?”

-Ecclesiastes

“I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature; I think Mother wants us to.”

-Willard Gaylin

What is the significance of each of the statements? Which represents a point of view closer to your own?

Listen for the following lines and terms as you watch the film scene. Are the meanings of all the words familiar?

After watching the film segment, we will discuss which character says each one:

You keep your workstation so clean, Jerome...phenomenal!

It’s next to Godliness. Isn’t that what they say?

Has the committee approved the mission? There’s talk of delay.

...about to embark on a one-year manned mission to Titan - a highly prestigious assignment – although for Jerome, selection was virtually guaranteed at birth.

He is blessed with all the gifts required for such an undertaking - a genetic quotient second to none.

I’ll never understand what possessed my mother to put her faith in God’s hands rather than those of her local geneticist.

Now, only seconds sold, the exact time of my death was already known.

attention-deficit disorder… manic depression…life expectancy

From an early age, I came to think of myself as others thought of me - chronically ill.

Every skinned knee and runny nose were treated as if it were life-threatening

...no critical pre-disposition to any major diseases.

I’ve taken the liberty of eliminating any prejudicial conditions : pre-mature baldness, obesity, propensity toward violence

We may as well decide on gender

Come on, you coward!

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of going into space.

My goals didn’t change a lot in the intervening years - much to my parents’ dismay.

Finally, the impossible happened. I learned that my brother was not as strong as he believed, and I was not as weak as I believed. It was the moment that changed everything.

Post-viewing

After viewing the scene, separate into groups of three or four. One person in the group can read each of the statements aloud and then ask if each member agrees or disagrees with the statement and why. Later, the whole class will get together to discuss each group’s responses:

1) Just after Vincent was born, the medical personnel were able to determine his genetic susceptibility to certain diseases and his life expectancy.

2) Vincent’s father changed his mind about naming his son after himself.

3) Vincent is born into a society where genetic engineering of human beings is mandatory

4) I agree that a person’s success in life is almost completely pre-determined by his genetic material.

5) Just after Vincent is born, his mother says she does not expect her son to accomplish much in life.

6) The parents also conceive their second son, Anton, in the traditional way.

7) Anton is a stronger swimmer than Vincent.

8) In his society, Anton is designated as an “invalid”.

9) In this society, it is legal to discriminate against “invalids”.

10) Both Anton and Vincent both dream of being astronauts.

11) The brothers’ favorite game is called “chicken”.

12) A person’s dreams and motivation to realize them can come from what he or she lacks in life.