GATTACA: There is no gene for the human spirit.

Guanine- Adenine- Thymine- Thymine- Adenine- Cytosine- Adenine (GATTACA): This film is named very creatively using the four nitrogenous bases of human DNA (guanine, adenine, thymine, cytosine). These are the building blocks of human DNA which pair up to form the famous Double Helix step ladder structure of DNA. Quite allegorically GATTACA is the ascension of one man up the social ladder as he reaches out for the stars. This is one single movie that I don’t get tired of watching over and over again, not to mention that it has some of my favorite actors. I have always had a strange fascination for dystopian fantasies and this movie tops the list simply for its artistic simplicity. It deserved an Oscar!

Every society has a hierarchy, and the basis of ‘class’ has changed with time and with place. Man has always fought for equality or egalitarianism. Just like in this movie, man has always sought a single chance, an opportunity however fleeting, a drop of hope however tiny, to the break social stereotypes and achieve his dream. Man has always managed to beat all odds with something as simple as human spirit, something that can never be scientifically defined or analyzed, something we just call faith. GATTACA is not a futuristic tale; it is an old story, as old as human civilization: old wine in a new bottle.

It is my personal belief and moral conviction that science has done far more good than harm to mankind. With every advance in medical science we are giving someone a chance, a choice which hitherto had not existed. Where nature has placed limits, we have broken them, just so that every human being gets a chance to live a little more, dream a little more. But just as in GATTACA science can also be used for all the wrong reasons. While this may just be an entertaining movie, it does provide an interesting angle to the ongoing debate about genetic engineering and eugenics. How about preconception gender selection? It is no longer a fancy scene in a science-fiction movie; it is very much a possibility today.

As the adage goes, there are two sides to every coin. But, the choice is always yours!


Some of my favorite quotes from the movie:

• There is no gene for the human spirit.
• Jerome, Jerome, the metronome... You could play the piano by that heartbeat of his.
• That piece can only be played with twelve.
• I took my mind off the pain by reminding myself that when I eventually did stand up, I'd be exactly two inches closer to the stars.
• You wanna know how I did it? This is how I did it Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back.
• I got the better end of the deal. I only lent you my body — you lent me your dream.

Up for a game of ‘chicken’ ?