How does Andrew Niccol present this world of the “not-too-distant-future?”
We often think of the future, even the near future, as extremely distant. More often than not, it seems that movies, and even our own imaginations, tend to overestimate the progress that humankind can make in the span of a few decades. Yet, amongst a climate of future-based films touting space stations and laser guns, and against the boundlessness of our own imaginations, Andrew Niccol’s film Gattaca presents a restrained but accurate vision of the near future that is not only believable, but also understandable.
Physically, Niccol’s vision of the near future is extremely restrained. The cars still look the same, the rocket ships are, although much more common, fairly
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As a result, the society of Gattaca is one where genetic-based discrimination is a common and accepted practice, even though it is technically illegal. While genetic discrimination does not exist in the current world, discrimination based on other beliefs certainly does. Discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality and creed are very much prevalent in our current world, and Niccol’s depiction of genetic discrimination is simply these aspects of our current world taken to another level. Yet, even with the presence of a different kind of discrimination, many aspects of the society of Gattaca are in reality hauntingly similar our own society. In Gattaca, there is still a very clear social hierarchy- the lower class, or the ‘invalids’, and the upper class, or the ‘valids’. The invalids are presented as old and unattractive, as dumb and weak, while the valids are presented as youthful and beautiful, as sophisticated and intelligent. Just like in the current world, where the dirty and ugly nature of poverty is often physically juxtaposed with the apparent beauty and elegance of wealth, this near-future society is as biased and as unfair as
The novel ‘Jasper Jones’ and the film ‘Jindabyne’ both use the representation of characters and their relationships to challenge the treatment of individuals with regards to race, class and gender. The historical contexts surrounding these two texts sets the basis for the stratification and racial discrimination present. The lack of dignity that is depicted between the relationships formed between characters displays the regard in which communities treat each other. ‘Jasper Jones’ and ‘Jindabyne’ are comparable texts as it is clear that the gap between these communities has reduced since the time period of ‘Jasper Jones’ when compared to ‘Jindabyne’, however, it is identified that this gap still exists.
The novel The Garies and their Friends is a realistic examination of the complex psychology of blacks who try to assimilate through miscegenation and crossing the color barrier by “passing as white.” Frank J. Webb critiques why blacks cannot pass as being white through the characters Mr. Winston and Clarence Jr.
It is apparent that within the GATTACA institution, there is a definite discrimination against the genetic underclass; that naturally born. Director Niccol is mocking the present-day view of prejudice and racism. In the future of GATTACA, this prejudice is referred to as genoism - genetic discrimination. Racism is a less specific form of genoism, and although such discrimination is outlawed, the laws are unenforceable because in this dystopian society, as it is in BNW, one's "genetic quotient" is known from birth. The underclass people of this world are limited but aware of their social status and they are not particularly happy with it. With the BNW, the lower castes seem to be (they are made to believe so) aware but they are conditioned to like their "light,...childishly simple" work. (p.204 BNW)
Literature and film have always held a strange relationship with the idea of technological progress. On one hand, with the advent of the printing press and the refinements of motion picture technology that are continuing to this day, both literature and film owe a great deal of their success to the technological advancements that bring them to widespread audiences. Yet certain films and works of literature have also never shied away from portraying the dangers that a lust for such progress can bring with it. The modern output of science-fiction novels and films found its genesis in speculative ponderings on the effect such progress could hold for the every day population, and just as often as not those speculations were damning. Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis are two such works that hold great importance in the overall canon of science-fiction in that they are both seen as the first of their kind. It is often said that Mary Shelley, with her authorship of Frankenstein, gave birth to the science-fiction novel, breathing it into life as Frankenstein does his monster, and Lang's Metropolis is certainly a candidate for the first genuine science-fiction film (though a case can be made for Georges Méliès' 1902 film Le Voyage Dans la Lune, his film was barely fifteen minutes long whereas Lang's film, with its near three-hour original length and its blending of both ideas and stunning visuals, is much closer to what we now consider a modern science-fiction film). Yet though both works are separated by the medium with which they're presented, not to mention a period of over two-hundred years between their respective releases, they present a shared warning about the dangers that man's need fo...
For many year humans have been trying to fight against discrimination in their communities, but it's an uphill battle that doesn’t seem like it’s been fully wiped out yet in our society. Discrimination and Prejudice has been a key issue that has affected many people around the world. In the movie that we saw in class, “My Cousin Vinny” (1992) it focused on these key issues of prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes and even eye witness testimonies. In the movie it focuses on these key issues while bringing a little humor to the viewers. In this paper I will be going into more detail of how this movie really brought to light these key issues.
The film Gattaca directed by Andrew Niccol is a science fiction that discovers the overall effects of genetic engineering. This is shown through the idea of a imminent society compelled by eugenics, where hypothetical children are conceived within a world of genetic manipulation. By doing this, it ensures that the upcoming generation posses the finest hereditary traits to benefit the future.
Set in the “not-too-distant future,” GATTACA, directed by Andrew Niccol, shows us a society where DNA determines your status. The film explores the significant idea of discrimination which is shown through Vincent’s character. The director’s use of techniques helped influence my understanding of the consequences of discrimination within society. Society discriminates against “in-valids” because they believe invalids aren’t as good as valids.
In 1997, Andrew Niccol produced the movie GATTACA. The movie described a world with genetically modified humans, modified at birth to be the perfect child their parents always wanted. In the 1990s, the movie seemed like a science fiction fantasy, but recent advances in biomedical procedure have started to make it a reality. While a future full of genetic engineering may be an intriguing notion, the human genome should be left alone. Humans should not be tampered with.
Gattaca presents a world destroyed by the pursuit of perfection. Do you agree with this? “The word perfection cannot be defined as one person or one thing. Perfection can only be told or seen in a first person view. No one will genuinely think something or someone is as perfect as another person, it’s impossible to see eye to eye with something that is as powerful and subjective as perfection.”
A Comparison of the Representation of the Future of The Matrix and Planet of the Apes
Why did Gattaca present only white males as ‘in-valid’? How does this reflect stereotypes? Why society didn’t have pity for Vincent, where were the ethics and morals of society? to allow students to think critically about the social justice issues presented in the movie. After class discussion, students can form into groups of four.
Alfonso Cuarón’s movie “The Children of Men” depicts a catastrophic future for humanity. Although it is portrayed to show events in the future approximately the year 2027 what is interesting is that the society in which the people live in is very similar to the world we live in today. The buildings, stores, cars (although weird-looking) do not look at all fancy as one might think the future to look. Cuarón’s look on the future is not a positive, hopeful one as his movie foreshadows sorrows, miseries and gloom waiting to be welcomed into our world. His movie though does indeed go parallel with the political and societal events of today.
Throughout generational lifetimes, we see the impacts of trauma within families of Hispanic background, leading to attempts by the younger ones to overcome generational trauma. In Javier Zamora’s “Saguaros” the author utilizes the reminiscent poem to recall the harsh realities of immigration in an attempt to demonstrate the complexities that come with recalling and dealing with past traumas. Within this interpretive text, we can see how Zamora recalls past traumatic events in attempts to demonstrate the impact it has on an individual. At an initial read, we see that the author recalls these events in a negative light, however, his choice in adding utopic-like references at the beginning demonstrates how personalized coping mechanisms can be.
First of all, I would like to go over my expectations of movies in the future: