Life without Hope?

Abstract

Early in Andrew Niccol’s 1997 science fiction film Gattaca, we witness the first moments of the life of Vincent Freeman (played as an adult by Ethan Hawke), beginning with his conception in the backseat of a Buick Rivieria. “They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness,” Hawke’s voiceover bitterly reflects. “They don’t say that any more.” In the near-future world of Gattaca, advances in genetic engineering have led to world of perfected designer babies, each one carefully calibrated to remove hereditary disease and maximize personal potential. Vincent’s mother, in contrast to this now-common practice, “placed her faith in God’s hands, rather than those of her local geneticist,” and the result is a genetic profile prophesying a too-brief lifetime filled with suffering and hardship. Mere seconds after the birth, an analysis of Vincent’s unaltered genome generates the list of maladies to which he has been doomed: “Neurological condition: 60 percent probability. Manic Depression: 42 percent probability. Attention Deficit Disorder: 89 per-cent probability. Heart Disorder: 99 percent probability. Early fatal potential. Life expectancy: 30.2 years.”