“Gattica” Andrew Niccol
If we could be genetically engineered for perfection, what would the world be like? What if genetically engineered offspring were for sale? These were some of the scenario’s that were explored in the movie Gattica by Andrew Niccol. DNA science has been around for quite some time and dates back as early as 1869 with the first noted discovery of a microscopic substance in the pus of discarded surgical bandages. This film explores the existence of man if it were possible to genetically engineer life to perfection. Some of the things I will explore is the morality of genetic engineering as well as the reality of it all.
The very first images that appear in the film are two quotes. These two quotes, one a biblical reference from Ecclesiastes and the other from William Gaylin, provide contrasting views on tampering with nature and immediately provide us with an insight into the film. Directly after this we are shown extreme close-ups of body parts such as hairs, dead skin and nail clippings falling, although I did not realize what they are immediately. This also gives the impressions that body parts are going to play a large part in Gattaca. During the opening credits, in all the names the letters A, C, T, and G are highlighted.( Gattaca (1997)) The relevance of this is that these four letters make up all the possible DNA combinations. This is something that I wasn’t aware of until after the film as well.
We are introduced to the main character as he is in an incinerator vigorously scrubbing his skin and as he exits the vessel, he hits the button to burn all evidence of his cleansing. It is obviously unnatural behavior and it has my attention right away. We then see him attaching a urine bag to his inner thigh and placing a fake finger pad on his finger with a
