GATTACA (Columbia - 1997) Starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Gore Vidal, Alan Arkin, Loren Dean Screenplay by Andrew Nicol Produced by Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher Directed by Andrew Nicol Running time: 112 minutes
***1/2 (out of four stars)
Alternate Rating: A-
Note: Some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers. Be forewarned.
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Nobody in Hollywood could have been more pleased with the scientific breakthrough announced earlier this year that British researchers had performed the first successful cloning of a live sheep than those at Sony Pictures associated with the GATTACA project. In terms of timing, such news couldn't have been more perfectly orchestrated, bringing to the forefront of public awareness the increasing sophistication in the science of genetic research over the past decade. When one combines this with the rampant paranoia and mistrust of the government pervasive in popular culture -- the number of conspiracy-oriented books lining shelves in stores and the success of similarly-themed TV show THE X-FILES is indication enough -- it's the perfect climate for the release of a film like GATTACA, which profiles a dystopic world of the future where one's DNA is the most crucial and valuable commodity.
Yet, like most great science-fiction, the strength of GATTACA is that the film really isn't exclusively a science-fiction film -- at its core, it's a very human and often poignant story which deals with the themes of potential, spirit and identity. There's no heavy reliance on showy visual effects or displays of stunning future technology, as is typical in most sci-fi films; GATTACA is essentially a character-oriented drama spun off from a dynamite premise.
It's the not-too-distance future, and scientific advancements have reached an advanced state where genetic tinkering allows the rich to create offspring literally devoid of any imperfection. Society has been divided into two distinct classes, where success is determined by science: the genetically-engineered 'Valids', and the naturally-conceived 'In-Valids' who are limited by society due to their imperfect DNA structures to serve as working drones. It's a world where prosperity is predetermined at birth; the Valids have the world at their feet -- an infinite realm of possibilities to pursue -- while the In-Valids have nary a reason to hope. So what's Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), an In-Valid with nearsightedness, emotional volatility and a congenital heart condition, to do? Burdened his whole life by living in the shadow of his Valid brother Anton (Loren Dean), and by his seemingly-unfulfillable ambition to become an aeronautics navigator for the elite Gattaca Aerospace Corporation, he's left toiling as a maintenance worker, eyes aimed upwards at the stars.
Of course, Vincent is not content to passively accept his fate, and GATTACA, then, is essentially an Underdog Film -- a familiar One Man Against Society story. On that level it works well, but where the film truly flourishes is when it focuses upon Vincent's indomitable determination to surpass expectations and push himself to the boundaries of physical limitation in order to attain his dream, against all forms of adversity. His relentless drive to succeed in a near-suicidal, virtually hopeless piece of subterfuge is powerfully affecting. Aided immeasurably by Michael Nyman's stirring score -- to date, the best score I've heard this year -- it's a genuinely moving celebration of the human spirit, while avoiding the trappings of becoming schmaltzy or sentimental.
In fact, New Zealander screenwriter-director Andrew Nicol's feature debut is such an auspicious piece of work that it's mildly disheartening that the film delves into a generic thriller subplot, dealing with a murder mystery on the grounds of the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. While this successfully taps into paranoiac elements -- given that Vincent's true identity can be traced through any form of DNA residue left, it's entrancing to observe his ritualistic grooming each morning to attempt to mask his true identity, and fascinating to watch him attempt to cover his tracks by stealthily vacuuming his desk and leaving decoy DNA samples (it reminded me in a sense to the great moment in WAIT UNTIL DARK where Alan Arkin's Harry Roat Jr. markedly pointed out that he hadn't *touched* anything in Susie's apartment) -- it also leaves gaping holes in logic which push credibility beyond the bounds of belief; consider, if you will, wily Detective Hugo (the aforementioned Mr. Arkin) unable to match a completely undisguised Vincent against a clearly-identical headshot image -- perhaps *Hugo* is nearsighted too. The murder mystery flounders, adding very little to enhance GATTACA and distracts from the film's primary theme, but it doesn't sink it.
Another vaguely ineffective subplot in GATTACA involves fellow Gattaca Aerospace Corporation trainee Irene, a genetically perfect woman (Uma Thurman - 'nuff said) who provides an interesting counterpoint to Vincent in terms of their approaches to adversity, but generally serves merely a decorative role in the film.
Among its arsenal of strengths (crisp, sharp visuals by cinematographer Slawomir Idziak; wonderful costumes by the legendary Colleen Atwood), GATTACA benefits from superb casting. Mr. Hawke is very solid and sympathetic as the undaunted protagonist and demonstrates that he can carry the film, while Ms. Thurman makes what she can out of her smallish role. And who else would one cast as the authority figure in the enormous future techno-bureaucracy of the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation other than Gore Vidal?
The standout performance in the film, however, belongs to Jude Law. His performance of the crippled Valid unable to fulfill his predestined greatness, Jerome Morrow, is a remarkable combination of pathos, wit, and quiet resilience and strength, and his subtle blurring of the lines of identity between himself and Vincent is interesting. The strange, symbiotic relationship between Jerome and Vincent is fascinating and compelling, and Mr. Law and Mr. Hawke play well off one another.
While Jan Roelfs' top-notch production design assists in creating a dystopic and conformist world, the ultimate credit must go to Mr. Nicol. His screenplay is intelligent, thoughtful, and well-written, and his direction is most accomplished. The impressive GATTACA marks a science-fiction film which eschews effects and explosions in favour of a more fundamentally human story, and succeeds wonderfully. While the world depicted in the film is cool, distance, and impersonal, at the heart of the picture is real warmth.
- Alex Fung
email: aw220@freenet.carleton.ca
web : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/
-- Alex Fung (aw220@freenet.carleton.ca) | http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/ "The separate forms of social behaviour that we associate with film and television are also starting to break down..." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, 1979
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