Depraved New World

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Or so writer/director Andrew Niccol would have us believe in his feature film debut, "Gattaca," a futuristic drama that portents a time in which genetic manipulation has transcended the English barnyard of the 1990s and gone horribly awry.

In a world where people are bio-engineered to arrive at the greatest possible genetic outcome, Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) was conceived naturally and born the old-fashioned way: a "faith" birth. As a result, he has a number of potential genetic problems including a heart condition that, the doctors predict, won't let him live past 30. Realizing the errors of their ways, Vincent's parents decide to have their next child genetically engineered. The result, Anton, is a virtually perfect brother for Vincent.

Faith-birth offspring such as Vincent are labeled as "In-Valids," while engineered offspring are "Valids." Everything in "Gattaca" is dependent upon genetic testing, with the highest quality jobs going to those who are most genetically fit. Vincent dreams of working for the space engineering firm Gattaca, a NASA for the future, so that he might someday leave the world that discriminates against him. However, his In-Valid status is only good enough to get him a job as a janitor in the place.

But the future isn't so different from today. Where there's technology, there's potential for profit. Determined to get a job at Gattaca, Vincent hires a "gene-broker" of sorts. German (Tony Shalhoub) is a man who sells the identities of Valids to In-Valids, and he acts as the middleman between Vincent and Jerome (Jude Law), a Valid of high order who has fallen on hard times. After a crippling accident, Jerome is forced to sell his identity to Vincent. They become roommates and begin the process, which involves Jerome saving samples of his blood and urine for the routine DNA testing at Gattaca. They pull it off and Vincent, now Jerome, gets the job. Everything is going his way. He is one week away from flying a manned mission to Titan when the flight director who opposed the mission is murdered. When one of Vincent's eyelashes is found near the scene, he becomes the number one suspect.

In this complex movie, there is much to be admired. Strong performances are given all around, especially by Hawke and Law. Uma Thurman is convincing enough as Irene, Vincent's love interest, although the role itself is not very demanding. Gore Vidal is good in his small role as Director Josef, and there are a few cameos that are interesting if not important, including an appearance by Gabrielle Reece as Gattaca's athletic trainer.

But, by far, the strongest aspect of the film is its visuals. The director of photography, Slawomir Idziak ("Blue") and the production designer, Jan Roelfs ("Orlando") create a world that is futuristic without being sci-fi. They've used a careful blend of classic styles from the past and a '90s sensibility to create sets that are simple and elegant, and photography that is both a function of the story and reservedly beautiful. Idziak uses light in such a way as to capture all of the contrasts of a black and white film, while still preserving the sensuality of brilliant colors. The scope of the shots vary from close-ups to wide panoramas, reflecting the aesthetic situations of the characters.

The interesting premise and adequate performances make "Gattaca" worth renting, but the superb quality of the visual effects make it worth seeing on the big screen. "Gattaca" is a welcome change of pace from a Hollywood where, recently, science fiction has meant aliens, laser guns and, worse, Will Smith.