Gattaca Cinematic Analysis

In the world of Andrew Niccol’s film Gattaca, tinkering with human genetics has become the norm in the search for perfection of body and mind. The practice has become so widespread that those conceived naturally suffer discrimination on the basis of their DNA which in turn creates a class divide between the two groups. In the film genetics, and the imperfection drawn from them is overcome by means of raw determination by the protagonist and these concepts are explored through a variety of cinematic techniques utilised by Niccol, notably those exclusive to the medium such as mise en scene, soundtrack and camera angles.

Niccol’s film tells the tale of Vincent, a ‘god child’, one born through natural conception with little engineering performed …show more content…
The double helix of DNA is often represented in the film through the staircases which are reminiscent of the image, in the scene in which Eugene drags his body up the stairs to reach the door, this climb is symbolic of overcoming one’s own limitations. The symbolism related to genetics can also be observed through the separation of the characters between ‘invalid’ and ‘valid’ which are often paired with red and green lighting respectively. This idea of genetics ties into determination closely, the tagline of the film and one of the most overarching ideas is that there is ‘no gene for fate’ which is indicative of Vincent’s attempts to push beyond natural limits and achieve his dream of spaceflight. The idea of perfection is similarly tied together, as seen through the character of Irene, who despite being ‘valid’ still suffers from a heart condition which places limitations upon her future goals. Cinematography also plays a role, especially camera angles as other than Vincent and Caesar, no other ‘invalids’ in the film are viewed using close shots, occasionally they are even seen via reflections which is used to emphasise the ‘genoism’ that can be observed in the film’s