“Consider what God has done. Who can straighten out what he made crooked?” Ecclesiastes 7:13
At birth, Vincent Freeman, the protagonist, was predicted to live only 30 years and be at high risk of developing heart disease and other conditions such as depression or attention deficit disorder. Freeman, ironically named, lives in a near future American where success and social standing is predetermined by genetic 'wellness'. This duality is shown through the image of his younger brother, conceived following the recommended genetic tests, who is genetically place in a higher position in society. Gattaca goes against the belief that there is some kind of genetic determinism that dictates one's health but also personality traits, as Vincent Freeman takes on the identity of a genetically gifted young, a former athlete named Jerome, a man who is marginalized by society after becoming paralyzed after a suicide attempt. "Jerome had been engineered with everything he needed to get into Gattaca, except the desire to do so" (Vincent Freeman narrating) Although he is still genetically 'healthy' being outside of society drives Jerome to alcoholism and depression while Vincent thrives in the new environment, enthralled by his new job as a kid of engineer, preparing for a journey in space.
The first excerpt shows Vincent's birth scene as the group of doctors list out all of the genetic information they are able to get from a simple blood draw only moments after birth. The second scene in Gattaca shows the reversal of roles between Vincent and his genetically 'superior' brother. These two scenes complement each other as the second goes against all that is predicted in the first one and set up a chain of events that unfold throughout the movie. Freeman's will to better himself and to, quite literally, reach higher grounds is in and of itself a humanist and individualistic goal.
While genetics appear unobtrusive, like many of the other types of science or medicine, they possess a kind of all-knowing truth that dictates objectivity, the normal, and the pathological, which are internalized by society and reflected in its norms and values.
