Gattaca
This is a very straightforward and simple story, with not many flourishes, twists and turns. It’s a purely cerebral experience, even the noir element is subdued. It’s first and foremost an anti-eugenics treatise.
It’s really a timeless story, since it’s not about DNA at all. It’s mostly a psychological thriller.
The guy predestined for greatness fails, not by any external means, but by his own hand: he was so distraught with receiving only a silver medal he jumped into traffic. He then feels even more of a failure, can’t even commit suicide properly and remains a drunken cripple.
The guy predestined for failure has to work harder, but it’s not enough, he doesn’t even get the chance to try. He needs go around the system, skulk around like a criminal for the gall of rising above his hierarchical post. Years and years of listening constantly “Stay in your lane” light a fire under his ass, making him better than talented people lacking motivation.
This and a small lecture about all its rich meaning should be required at 23andme, and other similar proto-eugenics operations. To be honest, 23andme might as well be a police sting operation to hoover data too illegal to collect otherwise… See the Golden State Killer case.
Gore freaking Vidal is the director that is willing to murder some stupid underling pushing for budget cuts instead of making sure America can send people to Titan. Totally fitting, can’t think of anyone better. It’s mostly a cameo, though.
Some scientists think this dystopia is not bad enough and there’s a chance of more evil systems created from DNA testing.
This is my place for ramblings about sequences of images that exploit the human visual limitation know as persistence of vision.