Gattaca
PG-13 1997 ‧ Sci-fi/Thriller ‧ 1h 46m
Below I continue my dystopian movie series with my third discussion about a nineties dystopian future film.
Gattaca and the Future It Saw Coming
The 1997 movie Gattaca imagined a future where your DNA decides everything — your job, your social status, even your chances at love or freedom. At the time, it felt like a cool, stylish sci-fi film. But now, with things like genetic testing kits and gene-editing tools becoming more common, Gattaca feels less like fiction and more like a warning.
In the movie, people who are born naturally are considered flawed. The world is run by those who were genetically engineered to be stronger, smarter, and healthier. The main character, Vincent, wasn’t engineered, but he has big dreams — like becoming an astronaut. To get there, he has to fake his identity and pretend to be someone with “perfect” genes. It’s a powerful story about how labels and limits can be forced on us, even when we’re capable of so much more.
What’s creepy is how close some of this feels to real life. Today, companies are collecting genetic data. Insurance providers and employers are already talking about using it to make decisions. Algorithms and risk profiles are starting to shape how people are treated. It’s not exactly like Gattaca, but it’s heading in that direction — and the movie reminds us how dangerous that can be.
Still, the heart of Gattaca isn’t just about the dangers of technology. It’s about how human determination can beat the odds. Vincent doesn’t let a bad “genetic score” stop him. He pushes forward and proves that who you are isn’t written in your DNA. That message still hits hard today.
If anything, Gattaca is more important now than ever. It asks us to think about the future we’re building. Just because we can control certain things with science doesn’t mean we should. And maybe the most human parts of us — our flaws, our struggles, our dreams — are the things we need to protect most.