A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
There is something about Gattaca that I haven't forgotten even after years of watching it for the very first time. While I have always been a huge fan of the sci-fi genre, I believe Gattaca also excels when seen outside the constraints of the genre. The film is filled with moments of pure drama that even Shakespeare would have approved.
Directed by Andrew Niccol, Gattaca continues to be a cinematic gem that mostly remains undiscovered even after 28 years of its release. The film has a stellar cast with the likes of Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, Ernest Borgnine, and even Gore Vidal in a sly cameo that underlines the film’s philosophical undertow.
What makes Gattaca truly special is that it takes the spine-chilling possibilities of genetic determinism and roots them in an achingly human struggle. It’s not the science fiction gimmicks that linger — it’s the haunting image of Vincent Freeman, a man born “in-valid,” defying the godlike grip of a eugenics-driven society. There is a quiet rebellion in Ethan Hawke’s performance — a refusal to accept the destiny imposed by a petri dish.
In my review of Predestination, I had written about the fascinating echoes of Vincent’s dogged idealism in Ethan Hawke’s other sci-fi roles, despite the fact that the two films are separated by 17 years. Hawke has this uncanny ability to lend his characters a core of vulnerability wrapped in steel — and nowhere is it more evident than in Gattaca.
There is a quote that has stayed with me all these years. The lines are spoken by Vincent:
“You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back.”
It’s a line that resonates far beyond the realm of the film — an anthem for all of us who have felt ‘less than enough,’ yet dared to outswim the odds. Jude Law, too, is devastatingly good as Jerome Morrow, the fallen star whose genetic perfection ironically imprisons him in despair. The contrast between Vincent and Jerome — one broken by birth, the other broken by expectation — gives the film a tragic, almost Greek dimension.
Niccol’s direction is measured, clinical at times, yet brimming with empathy. The sterile, retro-futuristic production design, the evocative score by Michael Nyman, and the quiet undercurrent of forbidden love between Vincent and Irene (Uma Thurman) — it all comes together to create a world that is both unsettlingly possible and deeply poetic.
Two decades later, Gattaca feels more relevant than ever. In an age of CRISPR gene editing and designer babies, its moral questions grow sharper. Who decides who is worthy? What does it mean to be truly human when perfection can be manufactured in a lab?
Gattaca reminds us that the indomitable human spirit lies not in what we are made of, but in what we choose to become. It’s a film that continues to whisper to us, “Don’t save anything for the swim back.”
A timeless fable for anyone who’s ever dared to dream with flawed DNA. A must-watch.
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