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Gattaca Supports The Belief That Human Flaws Are Preferable To A Genetically Engineered Existence.

Andrew Niccol's 1997 film Gattaca supports the belief that nature, despite its defects, is preferable to a flawless genetically engineered existence. This idea is explored through the character of Vincent who exhibits desire, resilience and determination, natural ‘human' elements that cannot be manufactured and are seemingly not present in the ‘faultless' future that is presented in Gattaca. These characteristics appear to be contrasted by the other characters in the film, such as Anton and the conforming Irene, who are perceived to be ‘flawless' in the context of their surroundings but are quite mechanical and emotionless. This is due to the fact that whilst they are genetically ‘perfect', they do not seem to possess the human qualities, such as the endeavor or the spirit that Vincent embodies.

Vincent's flaws are seen as a restriction on him from the moment he is born. The audience sees this through the nurse's proclamation that his "early fatal potential" is at "ninety seven percent probability." The stigma attached to such a condition is shown when his father refuses to give Vincent. his own name, demonstrating effectively how his inferiority results in him being abandoned from the outset of his life. These events are indicative of the stigma attached to the notion of being an ‘INVALID' in this "not too distant" future. However, what this synthetic and artificial world in Gattaca fails to account for is the strength of the human spirit, which relates to the concept of "nature" and the emotions that define people what make people human, even in the face of their perceived shortcomings. Vincent makes the assertion that "they've got you looking so hard for any flaw, after a while that's all you see." This is perhaps the most telling aspect of the ‘superior' society which reinforces the idea that the future has become little more than an emotionless, mechanical system, and that in the manufacturing of a ‘better world' has lost sight of what is truly important....