The Ending

From a strictly production perspective, I think that having the fire from the lift off and the fire from Eugene burning himself alive meshing into one another is genius. It is very symbolic and well done. They are both finally able to get what they wanted all along. And like they said in the movie, they gave each other that gift. Vincent (Jerome) wanted to go to space and Eugene wanted to die. Space and dying and vastly different, but also similar. Space and death are unknown. Both men are going to the unknown. 

Also while watching the movie I tried to imagine myself in this world. And it was difficult, it seems to removed from us when in reality it is not too far from what we have going on today already. I tried to pretend as if I were Irene and how I would react to everything. I figure I would react similarly to her, intrigued to explore yet hesitant to trust. Being a part of this world seems scary and unsettling, but also exciting and thrilling at the same time. 

I personally would not want to live in this world, I would not want to be a character in this story. I would not want this because in this story everyone knows or can find out every single little thing. There is no personal mystery, no exploring, no real true happiness. 

Everything seems generated and formulated to fit everyone’s exact need at all times. I do not think this would be fun, or any way to live a life happily. As I had touched on in my previous post from Thursday, knowing everything may not be what is best, but knowing some things can be helpful.

Genes, Dreams, and Stars

"You wanna know how I did it...I never saved anything for the swim back."
                                                                                                           -Vincent

There is a boy, untouched, made of love
and heart, who dreams. He dreams
of roaring fires and golden galaxies and infinite -
he is rooted and blemished. A blot
within a series of numbers and letters and expectations.
His yearning is unheeded, forgotten in the face
of routine and law and superior breeding.

His blood pumps limits and life and envy, veins chilled by
the unavoidable warmth of imperfection. He scrubs
himself raw, a picture of pink knees and nose and chest,
jaw clenched and breath short and reaching - hopeful,
as he watches his body burn into dust.
His heart is full of stutter stops and starts, drowning in rivers
and spitting out curses - and keeps on. The world turns, oblivious.

His dreaming is hungry, ongoing and stumbling
and stealing. His limbs stretch, muscles aching, eyes crinkling
as he gazes up. The spinning of the earth and the burning
of rockets whisper of something beyond perfection, beyond
eyelashes and skin and bone. The world rumbles on, oblivious
to his pining, but he is borne of stars and possibility.
His genes are useless in the inky black.

He gazes up, adjusts his dreams,
and gets to work.

Invalidation or Ignorance?

"Eugene suffered under a different burden - the burden of perfection."

Vincent, narrating

While watching Gattaca I thought that it was interesting to consider the concept of ‘invalidation’ in a Utopia where the citizens are taught that they are ‘less than’ because of genetics throughout their lives. This is in a stark contrast to the citizens of Brave New World who are conditionedthat they are ‘less than’ from the beginning. Is one better than the other? Is it better to be ignorant in a caste system where you are conditioned to a caste system than to be constantly reminded of ‘less than’?

PS I hate the term ‘less than’ but I wasn’t sure what a better use of the term.

knowing or not knowing?

I would think that knowing everything they are likely or unlikely to get/have would make them more unhappy. I had the choice of being tested for the mutation for ovarian cancer and I chose not to have the test done because there is nothing I can do about it now and knowing would only make me unhappy and worrisome. This would impact my life negatively and would not help at all. The idea that they know the percentage of if they’ll have depression or a heart issue or anything else is scary and I think it would only make living harder to be honest. But on the other hand, knowing some things can help people to make choices in there lives to avoid them or to be safer in the long run. Like for me, I am able to get regular check ups for ovarian cancer and do some other little things to decrease my chances of getting it. 

Im wondering what everyone else thinks about this. 

”We’re closer than you think”

A very short video explaining the progress in gene editing we have made so far.

We may be closer to the world of Gattaca than you’d think.

A simple question

I thought about an analysis post about how Gattaca is an anology for racism and class disparity, but it felt obvious and a bit redundant.

I appreciate how beneath the guise of a fantastic sci-fi film, lay a very simple story about people who set out to accomplish more then was expected of them.

I wanted to post a very simple significant question: is the world of Gattaca a good place to live or a bad place to live? And is it better then the world we live in today? Is a world without disease and birth defects worth the cost of a genetically predetermined class system?

Degenerates, Validity, and the Stars

After viewing Gattaca, I found myself thinking on these two lines/passages in particular:

"They have got you looking so hard for any flaw that after a while that's all that you see. For whatever it's worth, I'm here to tell you it's possible. It is possible."

"You wanna know how I did it...I never saved anything for the swim back."

These two quotes interplay on the film's themes of genetic engineering vs. human potential and its undaunted spirit, but I also wonder how they reflect this created world/society and its Utopic vision for perfection, or more. Vincent defies his "real resume," but he will never be able to viably or safely live in his world - in Gattaca. What quotes stuck out to you all for the message of this Utopia? Any thoughts on these quotes?

https://mocah.org/thumbs/4592458-silhouette-space-stars.jpg