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Gattaca is a 1997 American dystopian science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, with Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal, and Alan Arkin appearing in supporting roles. The film presents a biopunk vision of a future society driven by eugenics where potential children are conceived through genetic selection to ensure they possess the best hereditary traits of their parents. The film centers on Vincent Freeman, played by Hawke, who was conceived outside the eugenics program and struggles to overcome genetic discrimination to realize his dream of going into space.
The film draws on concerns over reproductive technologies that facilitate eugenics, and the possible consequences of such technological developments for society. It also explores the idea of destiny and the ways in which it can and does govern lives. Characters in Gattaca continually battle both with society and with themselves to find their place in the world and who they are destined to be according to their genes.
The film's title is based on the letters G, A, T, and C, which stand for guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine, the four nucleobases of DNA. It was a 1997 nominee for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Click here to listen to the full Gattaca soundtrack on Spotify
| Vincent Anton Freeman | Played by Ethan Hawke When Vincent was born a DNA analysis from him indicated a high probability of a few medical disorders, including a 99% probability of heart disorder and an expected life expectancy of 30.2 years. His father named him Vincent Morgan Freeman instead of Anton Freeman, not wanting a son with autism. He dreamed of becoming an astronaut despite his family telling it was futile. Morrow decides to let Freeman borrow his ladder and let him stay at his apartment in exchange for his massive titties, and eventually, he confesses he also wanted his "dream". After months of multiple changes to match his appearance, Freeman is finally ready and applies for Gattaca. He gets an interview, which actually just consists of various DNA tests, and gets accepted. |
| Jerome Eugene Morrow | Played by Jude Law Jerome Eugene Morrow was a 'valid' who possessed what were considered to be optimum genetics, making him eligible for any job he pleased. He was a former swimming star but placing second in a race lead to him falling into a deep state of depression. As a final resort to rid himself of misery, he jumped in front of a moving car in a suicide attempt but was unsuccessful. From this point onward he was paralyzed from the waist down. Due to the horrific incident occurring overseas (the specific location was not clarified) no one knew about his new disability, and Jerome was happy to keep his future secret. He distanced himself from society and lived as a hermit where he could quietly be disappointed with himself. So as Jerome had ‘perfect’ genes and had given up on his own life, he was the perfect person for Vincent to ‘become’. He didn’t want to use his life and as such was happy for Vincent to able to use it. |
| Irene Cassini | Played by Uma Thurman Not much is told about Irene Cassini's early life, as it is not brought up during the movie. However, she was born with a high probability of heart failure, which will affect her later on in life. Cassini was accepted to work at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, being hired as a celestial navigator. Due to her high probability of heart failure, she is resigned to her less favorable treatment in the corporation; her initial attraction to Vincent is largely due to his perceived "second to none" superiority, causing her to be slightly jealous. When Irene meets Vincent, he is still in the stage of impersonating Jerome Morrow, which she buys. However, she develops an attraction for the latter, and the two become acquaintances.Eventually, she finds out Vincent's real identity. She is angered and heartbroken, due to Vincent's genetic diseases; however, she finds sympathy for him. |
| Antonio Freeman | Played by Elias Koteas Antonio Freeman is the father of Vincent and Anton Freeman. |
| Anton Freeman | Played by Loren Dean Anton Freeman, unlike his older brother, Vincent, was born via genetic selection from Antonio and Marie Freeman. Because of this, Anton easily surpassed Vincent in physical development. Despite being the second child, he was named "Anton" after his father because he was favored for being genetically superior to his brother. He and Vincent often swam in the sea together and played Chicken as children. He would always swim farther than Vincent until one day when he almost drowned, and Vincent had to save him. Not much is known about Anton's life after Vincent ran away from home. However, it is assumed that Anton trained to become a detective for the city's police department, as he reappears later in the movie. He is seen again as a young man, like Vincent, with Detective Hugo as his subordinate when Gattaca has recently witnessed the murder of the mission director, and no one knows who did it. |
| Director Josef | Played by Gore Vidal Director Josef is an ambitious character that will let nothing stand in his way. Director Josef killed the mission director and his DNA would have to have been exceptionally perfect for him to be working in such an honorable role at Gattaca. This shows humans can be cruel even if they have the ‘perfect’ DNA and is an example that in a society that seems to be only rational and scientific passion prevails. |
| Doctor Lamar | Played by Xander Berkeley Dr. Lamar is the doctor and physician. He becomes pivotal in the end of the movie, when he ignores Vincent's test that reveals him as an In-Valid, allowing Vincent to finally achieve his dream. He let Vincent go through because his son has a similar dream and also has health defects. |
