Official trailer for the movie GATTACA

“Gattaca is set in "the not-too-distant future," making the world it depicts especially chilling. Genetic testing has become so inexpensive, quick, and powerful that the information revealed can be used in startling ways. An individuals DNA can be sequenced in minutes, and the results indicate the presence or absence of a host of diseases and "defects" including nearsightedness, heart trouble, and premature hair loss. Parents select the traits of their children through in vitro fertilization and can choose sex, hair color, eye color, and even skin tone. A few people are still conceived in what we would call the normal way, and those infants are screened at birth and given an expected life span or "expiration date.” Vincent (who takes on the identity of “Jerome”) is one of such people in the movie. Labeled an "In-Valid" because he was conceived not in the lab, but in love, Vincent buys an identity from a DNA broker, therefore changing places with genetically perfect but paralyzed Jerome in order to achieve his life goal of space travel.”
— Adapted from Jacob Clark Blickenstaff—NSTA Reports
 

The 1997 sci-fi movie GATTACA is one that I have shown to my students year after year in biology class. I like to show it because it is thought-provoking, timely, and touches on important concepts like identity, disability, knowledge, power, inclusion/exclusion, and societal norms through discussions of genetic discrimination, genetic testing, and eugenics. It sets up wonderfully for small group or full-class discussions to interrogate rules, categories, and the notion of biological perfection. It is also a great movie to show to have students reflect, in writing, in response to prompts. Some sample prompts that I have used in the past are shown below:

  • “The new underclass is no longer determined by social class or the color of our skin... We now have discrimination down to a science.” Explain this quote in the context of the film, and describe the forms of discrimination found in the movie. Include a discussion of terms like “invalid,” “valid,” “eutero,” “vitro,” “faith birth,” “made-man,” “borrowed ladder,” “God-child” and “de-gene-erate” as used in the film to describe the characters.

  • “There is no gene for the human spirit.” What do you think the director/writer is trying to convey with this quote from the movie? In your response, also discuss the ways in which Vincent is different from Anton.

  • The movie highlights the human desire to pursue “perfection.” Discuss the meaning of “perfection” as revealed in the movie— can one be genetically perfect and also human? What are your thoughts regarding the phrase “perfect human”? In your discussion, also describe the different attitudes Vincent and Irene have about their genetic “imperfections.”

  • Data, privacy, and security are words that are gaining more attention in both the media and our daily lives. DNA data shape our identities and play a significant role in the movie. The society in the film is portrayed “reading” people’s genetic profile on a daily basis. Discuss how the information in DNA is used both in favor and used against the characters in the movie. In your response, include a discussion of how a person’s DNA data can be acquired by another individual.

  • Analyze the depiction of scientific content in the movie. Would you consider the type of society and life portrayed in the movie to be possible in the near future? Explain. How would your life be different than it is today if there was such heavy reliance on genetic information and DNA technologies? Think about dating (“I had you sequenced”), having children ("faith birth” vs “made man”), employment (how would the interview process be different?), and pre-diagnosis of disease (in the movie and in our world today).

  • “Keep in mind that the child is still you, just the best of you,” said a doctor in the movie. Discuss what the doctor meant with this quote by discussing the context of the quote in the movie. How did the doctor ensure that the newborn would be the “best” of the parents? Do you agree with the quote? Are individuals created by genetic engineering in the laboratory better than those conceived naturally? Support your view with specifics from the movie and from your current understanding of the technology.