Film Text Response Essay: Gattaca

Essay Topic: How does Andrew Niccol use narrative structure, character development, setting and film techniques to elucidate the key themes and values in Gattaca.

The science fiction film, Gattaca, directed by Andrew Niccol is about in a ‘not-too-distant future’ world where the protagonist Vincent Freeman: a born in-valid. But later adopts the identity of a valid, enabling him to pursue his dreams, traveling into space. Throughout the film, as the event progresses many of the theme and director’s values were revealed. With effective use of narrative structure, a character development, setting and film techniques, it enabled Niccol to elucidate the dangers of genetic and scientific experimentation, systematic discrimination and authoritarian conformity VS individuality.

The dangers of genetic and scientific experimentation was one of the key theme and values that the director: Andrew Niccol was trying to persuade us. At the beginning of the film there are many extreme close-up shots of Vincent’s skin flakes and hair. Generally in film, extreme close-up shots are only used when an object has great importance and contribution to the film, but it can also trigger thinking in the audiences’ mind, allowing the audiences to make connecting between scenes. Playing parallel in the same scene were sound effects of the flakes and hair hitting something and the sound effect was also made more dramatic. Later on in the film, the audiences understand why Vincent is rubbing of the skin flakes and hair, because these evidences can betray his in-valid identity, as he has taken on the Jerome Morrow’s valid identity. Both these film techniques allowed Niccol to effectively communicate and elucidate the theme: the dangers of genetic and scientific experimentation. As the film continues to progress, the scene of the spiral staircase in Jerome’s house was shot at a low angle, capturing the whole staircase. In this scene the spiral staircase symbolized the double helix structure of the human DNA. By combining all three of these film techniques: camera angles, extreme close-up shot and sound effects Andrew Niccol was able to effective depict one of the key themes.

Systematic discrimination was a reoccurring theme in the film. The development of the Vincent character evidently and clearly support this the theme of systematic discrimination in the ‘not-too-distant future’ world. The first sign of systematic discrimination was at the beginning of the film, when Vincent Freeman was born. In this scene there was a close-up shot of baby Vincent. We see that there is nothing wrong with him on the out side. He has “ten fingers, ten toes”, but this was the case in the ‘not-too-distant future’ world. Continuing from the previous scene it shows the nurse that a blood sample of Vincent and immediately there is announcement of him being an in-valid: the lower and considered worthless class of the society. Then the protagonist’ father: Antonio Freeman says “Anton”… “No…Vincent Anton”. This quote then makes a lot of sense later in the film, as the film progresses we realized why. For example in the one of the key setting in the film: the beach the second time the protagonist: Vincent and his valid brother: Anton races against each other Chicken, where one tries to swimming as far away from shore as possible. There are many different cameras angle shots taken to reveal the swimming competition. High angle shot clearly shows the distance and how Anton was struggling, some low angle shots are also taken to show the struggling. Close up of Anton’s facial expression and sound effects of Anton’s heavy breathing and water splashing are also used. Through these scenes, both these types of camera shots aided the director: Andrew Niccol to elucidate the theme of Systematic discrimination.

Authoritarian conformity VS individuality was another key theme discussed by Andrew Niccol. Gattaca was a place where this was most obvious. When entering Gattaca we see many workers dressed uniformly, completely the same: suits or dresses. There are never close-up shots of the worker, promoting the idea of they are all the same and have no differences between: no individuality. The palette in Gattaca was chosen with extreme carefulness. The colors chosen are grey, cold blue and murky dark colors. The uses of these colors emphasize the lack of warmth at Gattaca and the fact that it has no sense of humanity and individuality. Long, crane shots are also used for filming the workers in the control center shows that the workers had their own workstations; there was no interaction and connection between them and their robotic and uniformed way of entering the facility. All the film technique collaborated and elucidates the key theme authoritarian conformity VS individuality in the future where every one in the future is expected to conform to the rules and everyone is the same.

The director: Andrew Niccol used narrative structure, character development, setting and film techniques to effectively elucidate the key themes and values in science fiction film Gattaca the dangers of genetic and scientific experimentation, systematic discrimination and authoritarian conformity VS individuality.