Is Gattaca a cause for hope or despair? and other points....

Gattaca is dependant on the persons point of view of the movie- the persons immersed in the development of science is a case leading to despair and vincents case is hopeful. However the invalids such as the doctor and irene are more so hopeful and dissapointed that the are not a part of the valid class. Gattaca represents the invalids as those in our society who are not obsessed with themselves or indifferent to suffering and the valids represents those in our society who are living for science, development in genes and gene therapy who will eventually become indifferent to our race. I think the director of the movie wanted to percieve not only is genetic engineering good or bad, or hopeful or despairing, but to show what would happen to our own society if this came reality.

I would say that in Gattaca, hope is not just of physical nature but primarily spiritual, we place our hope in God through prayer. Vincent remarked on a child concieved in love [he is talking about himself], thus he gives hope not only physical but spiritual. The Doctor has hope and faith in his son whom is deemed invalid. Faith is spiritual. Vincent has dreams, goals and hopes that are driving him forward unlike those who are lost because they have broken that spiritual and physical hope such as Eugene when he incinerated himself. Hope is a aspect when Gattaca displays the human spirit over science.

Irene had a heart condition like Vincent, she is a victim of her own genetics and with everyone has a certian role that is structured in this "genetic society" and they just have to live with it. The irony in Irene is that her job in Gattaca is to identify its flaws which is fitting to her own genetics. This brings the idea of being a "true valid" because they are not all perfect and it could demonstrate if there is a class system with the valids. Say if one valid had a heart condition and another a cleft palate which would be more "perfect" than the other? Instead of upper class, middle class and lower class it could be upper valid, middle valid, and invalid. I consider Irene inbetween the valid/invalid system. She tries to be perfect but it wasn't until she met Vincent that she let her hair down (literally).

Other points on the movie Gattaca;

• If genetic engineering was a part of our society like in Gattaca than discrimination is an inevitable outcome of that too. Thats why law had to pass the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2003 to insure health agencies will benefit people no matter of there genes. But should we have this anyway? If we never had genetic engineering we would never have these issues.

• Gattaca represents humans succumbing to the world. It is like the abortion bill being passed and that everyone is undermining and succumbing to the future. Time changes, we change our views and opinons change but sin hasnt. If parliament were to pass a bill on legalising genetic engineering 50 years ago would it be passed than todays view? We are losing our real values from God and conforming to the world. How many abide by the Ten commandants and the Lord today? Are we losing our reasoning to what is right and wrong as todays generation? Getting back to Gattaca, this shows how time changed and morals were influenced in the movie. Like Vincent says "They used to say a child concieved in love had the greatest chance of happiness but no-one says that anymore...."

• Medicine is not a form of genetic modification all the time, but if used extensively and inhumanely it could lead to it. Technology is good, God gave us the knowledge for it but when it is abused it turns evil and the concept of God is removed. Than we will get so obsessed with finding cures for people and diseases we will see genetic engineering as an answer for everything.