Organ Transplant Movie Analysis

Every year, hundreds of people in the United Kingdom die while waiting for organ transplants. There simply are not enough organs available. In an effort to curtail these deaths, scientists in the United States have begun research into human-pig chimeric embryos. These embryos are carried inside sows with the expectation that eventually they will be carried to term and born with human organs that can be transplanted to patients on organ donor waiting lists. It is an ingenious solution, but some people are frightened, their minds drifting to the likes of The Island of Doctor Moreau as they imagine horrific patchwork creatures with hints of human sentience. Acting on these fears, the National Institutes of Health previously put a moratorium on …show more content…
In a world dominated by binaries and stereotypes, she is expected to dedicate herself to one half of the work-life binary. Balancing both halves is not only forbidden, but impossible, especially for Rosa. Women in male-dominated fields often feel that they have to “choose between their careers and motherhood,” which is a feeling Rosa experiences after giving birth to her creation and grasping at it for emotional fulfillment (Prescott and Bogg 168). Within the span of the movie, particularly after Rosa gives birth, the half of the dichotomy focused on her personal life largely hinges on the concept of maternity. The balance of maternity and research is most artfully depicted in the scene beginning at 11:00. In this tranquil scene the camera looks down on Rosa and the chimaera from an almost bird’s-eye angle as they lay on her bathroom floor, contributing a sense of vulnerability to a scene that not only contains gore, but showcases a woman with aggressive, almost fearsome, ambition. She lies in a relaxed position, her form brightly lit from her head to her knees. The illuminated portion of her body is a curving, organic shape, reminiscent of a crescent moon. Opposite her is the chimaera, which lies on a large towel, a pool of viscera at one end. The shapes they make are almost identical crescent-like forms, mirrored and rotated, calling to mind the symbol for yin and yang. In addition to that most obvious balance, the shot can be divided according to the rule of thirds and into golden triangles. The shot’s exceptionally balanced composition is a subtle representation of the balance Rosa is determined to achieve in life. And in that moment, it feels as though she has achieved a perfect balance. She has taken something that is intrinsically career-focused and turned it into something personal, literally giving birth to an experiment. This bridging of the gap between career and personal