GATTACA

Movie Summary

Nothing is set in stone and nobody’s future is really known. Gattaca embodies this mysterious truth with its story of a man who was deemed inferior by everyone around him and still rose to the top.
The behavior of people towards him is predetermined by his inherent genetic qualities. This idea is analogous to something like gender or race stereotyping in the real world. Vincent has the drive and ability to succeed but because of a small chance of a medical deficiency he is not even given the chance to prove himself. He lacks the ability to better himself by society’s standards because he cannot change his own genes.
For me this movie really exercises what it takes to over come impossible odds and that no dream is completely out of reach. Vincent achieved his dream through tireless dedication and hard work; he left behind his entire life to pursue his dream in life. A truly memorable quote from this movie is when he and his brother are swimming in the sea and he is asked by his brother “how are you doing this Vincent?” and he responds, “You wanna know how I did it? This is how I did it Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back.” This quote encompasses how I perceive a person drive in the modern world. He has gone so far with this plan that there is no turning back and he must continue to get better. It is very similar to when someone decides on a career path, those passionate about it will dedicate their entire being to perfecting their practice of it. And if you yourself do not feel passionate about something the way Vincent does then you still envy his own passion.
Vincent was given a set of expectations and limitations at birth similar to the rest of us. He took these limits and shattered them, realizing that he had limitless potential to do great things with his life. It reminds me that nothing is certain of the future and that all things can change with time, and that there is something more to a person than just the genetic content of there cells. You can call this something extra the soul or their heart, whatever it is it exists. It is that undeniable force that accompanies life, and makes the impossible possible.
The most prevailing concept I took away from this movie is that you should never settle for moderation or second best. Everyone in this world is capable and deserving of experience great things and our greatest obstacle to doing any of this is convincing ourselves that we can and we will.