Gattaca The Movie Essay

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The science fiction film Gattaca, released in 1997, was written and directed by Andrew Niccol and depicts the struggle of the main character, played by Ethan Hawke, as he overcomes the discrimination of a society that largely supports the concept of eugenics and seemingly despises the concept of natural selection. The protagonist of the film, Vincent Freeman (played by Ethan Hawke), works to fulfill his lifelong desire of space travel. This goal is hindered because he is an “invalid,” meaning someone who was born without genetic augmentation. But with the assistance of a “valid” named Jerome Eugene Morrow, portrayed by Jude Law, he can create the deception that allows him to get a job at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, the company that is organizing a deep space mission in which Vincent want to participate. To be a success, Vincent believes he must appear “valid.” Those people who are “valid” are the result of artificial reproductive techniques (ART) where scientists use techniques such as in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation to create offspring free of mutation or any potential disease. In vitro fertilization is the result of combining a donor egg with a donor sperm in a petri dish in a laboratory and then implanting the resulting embryo(s) into a uterus. Genetic prenatal screening can then be performed by amniocentesis or by directly analyzing the …show more content…
People who were “invalids” had jobs that were much less important as opposed to the “Valids” who were able to be Detectives, Doctors, Scientists, and Astronauts. The character Irene (played by Uma Thurman) has a serious heart condition, but she is a “Valid” she is still thought of as
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