In this not-too-distant future, parents can choose to have a baby with the perfect looks, intelligence, character, health and fitness, by means of advanced genetic engineering.  In this future the socially accepted norm is creating the perfect human, a 'Valid'.  However, Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) is conceived the natural way, with no modifications.  A blood test at birth indicates that he has a 99% chance of a heart defect killing him by age 30.  Hence, Vincent is condemned from birth to live as an "In-Valid", an underclass of society. Vulnerable to illnesses, passions, emotions - he is imperfect in the eyes of the genetic scientists.

Gattaca Corporation is a company with rules that reflect the culture of perfection.  High levels of physical and mental ability are required to qualify as a member of an elite group of people selected to travel on a space journey to Titan, Saturn's fourth moon.  While Vincent dreams of becoming a navigator on an interplanetary rocket, with his heart condition nobody will invest the time to train him.  The best he can do was clean the floors at the corporation where they train the astronauts.  Eventually, Vincent gets fed up and sets out to change is station in life.  He ends up getting in touch with a man named Jerome Morrow (Jude Law) who has impeccable genetics, but is crippled in an auto accident.  They start an all-encompassing ruse, where Vincent takes the other guy's identity, splitting Vincent's salary between them.

Gattaca Corporation routinely checks everyone's identity with a blood sample as they enter the building and performs regular drug testing.  Hence, Vincent has to take his daily shower to wash away any evidence that may expose him as an "In-Valid" in Gattaca - by washing away the loose skin, hair, and external body fluid traces that might reveal his DNA composition.  The shots of Vincent meticulously scrubbing and brushing every part of his body to remove flecks of dead skin and loose hair captures the pain-staking methods he has to go through to conform to the image and biological form of human perfection which society dictates.

Along the way, Vincent falls for the beautiful, yet not as it seems genetically perfect, Irene (Uma Thurman).  But a week before Vincent is scheduled to blast off to Titan a murder occurs at Gattaca.  That brings in the authorities, who scour the office much more thoroughly, which disrupts his careful plan to keep his real identity under wraps.  Can Vincent fulfill his childhood dream to go outerspace eventually?

My Thoughts:
Gattaca cleverly deals with a subject that is complex, moralistic and controversial, and links it with a sci-fi thriller genre.  It is a thought-provoking and visually stunning film to watch.  It is a somber film and the acting and the whole look of the film compliments this style.  Gattaca does not seek to plunge the viewer in to the scientific world of genetics or of the theories of genocide, but presents us with the consequences of a possible future where a race of genetically engineered superhumans control the reigns of society.  In this sense, I like the way it explores what perfection of a human actually means, and how an " imperfect" human living in a "perfect" world feels.  To me, natural birth (without any genetic engineering) is still better than birth controlled by genetic engineering.  And of course, I like the musical score of the soundtrack.