Individualism & the Police State

Connections to wider purpose and ideas in Gattaca

Individualism
This is a philosophical point of view. Wikipedia defines it as: ...the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own interests, whether by society, family or any other group or institution. So, this is more than just wanting things, having goals, dreams, desires, etc. It is an active philosophical position that regards the worth of the individual over and above the worth of the state/community/collective (this is a bit of an over simplification, but works for our purposes.) Any interference from establishments/institutions like the government are seen as an impingement on the individuals ability to determine and shape their lives.

Vincent
And so Vincent is essentially an individualist. He is a nice representation of what this philosophy looks like, why it is important and why the consequences of it might be especially within a dystopian, conformist society. We know Vincent is an individualist because he has significant distain for the way establishments shape and determine what he is able to be. He never accepts the social stigma attached to his genetic make up and is only ever focused on the pursuit of his own individual goals - essentially whatever the cost. We must remember that he might be putting the entire mission at risk because of his heart condition, he risks Jeromes reputation, he risks the reputation of his family name (though probably not a huge deal to Vincent) and he does put Irene in physical and legal danger because of her association with him. It could be argued the for Vincent, his goals/desires are priority number one (this doesnt mean that he doesnt care about other people, just that as an individualist, he sees the promotion/pursuit of his goals as of fundamental importance.)

The purpose of the individualist

Oscar Wilde (extremely famous 19th Century author slash dandy) once said: individualism is a disturbing and disintegrating force. There lies its immense value. For what it seeks is to disturb monotony of type, slavery of custom, tyranny of habit, and the reduction of man to the level of a machine." What I think this means is that the purpose of the individualist is to shake things up in the societys that they exist within. Their job is to challenge conformity as much as possible. They question the status quo. I think its important for us to like to where Wilde talks about the reduction of man to the level of a machine because this is essentially what the genetically perfect world of Gattaca does.

Vincent as individualist
What we get in Vincent is, arguably, a representation of the importance of the individualist. Honestly, I dont think that Niccol goes nearly far enough with Vincent in the way that other dystopian protagonists often do; however, he does question the status quo and re-shape elements of the world due to his individualist philosophy and his willingness to commit to it. His relationship with Irene is a nice example of this. The lovely piece of dialogue (connection to film technique) near the end of the film confirm this: They have got you looking so hard for any flaw, that after a while thats all that you see. For whatever its worth, Im here to tell you that it is possible. It is possible. He questions her world, her values, her belief in herself and the lessons her world has taught her. She walks away here, but later her symbolic action of letting the piece of hair get caught by the wind suggests that she believes Vincent and therefore believes in what he represents. Her world is essentially changed, even if just slightly. Her styling suggests this to some extent - she is isnt wearing the severe shirt and coat combo and her hair is down. There is something more relaxed about her, less strict, more individual.

Vincent as individualist
And then in the conflict with Anton, we get something of the same. As a character, Anton is basically a representative of the status quo. He is a successful product of the genetic selection process. He is good at his job, embraces the world he lives in and perfectly represents the values that the world of Gattaca privileges. The climactic two scenes between these two illustrates the ability of the individualist to question and disintegrate authority. Firstly we get the argument between Vincent and Anton. The dialogue (technique) here has Vincent directly assaulting the values at the heart of Antons and Gattacas world: Vincent: It that they only way you can succeed? Is to see me fail? God! Even you are going to tell me what I can and cant do now?! In case you havent noticed, I dont need any rescuing. But you did once. Well, youve got all the answers, how do you explain that? Anton: You didnt beat me that day, I beat myself.

Vincent: Who you trying to convince?

Vincents existence at this place and this time is a direct assault on Antons core values. Vincents dialogue completely undermines what Anton represents. It is a powerful challenge to the values of the society Anton is working to protect. This is a fundamental purpose of the individualist and Niccols use of Vincents character here nicely expressed the power and purpose of the individuality. It is an Anton cant stomach though, which leads to their final showdown in the ocean.

Vincent as individualist
I find the final swim scene particularly interesting. In essence, Vincent defeats Anton. The individualist defeats the representative of conformity. The reason I find this interesting is that what Niccol seems to suggest here is that the power of an individualist philosophy can overcome conformity - can literally defeat it - which should surely spell an end for the oppressive genoist regime. The individual stands triumphant. So, to an extent we could say that Niccol is expressing the idea that the individual has the power and the ability to overcome the prejudice, oppression and control of society/authority. However, Vincent doesnt then go on to inspire and lead an uprising against of the In-valids against the genoist Valids. What he does is represent individualism perfectly. He cares nothing for such ideas of community when his goals are not yet met. He goes on to leave the planet. The one representative of the failings of this societys genoist practises leaves the planet to seek his own selfish goals. I think this is potentially a weakness of the film (or at least illustrates a lack of desire for developing socially aware film). Probably not something you can write on in an essay, but quite interesting all the same.

So, this is one way in which the character of Vincent can be read. He can be seen as a representative of individualist philosophy. He can be seen as a representation of the value of such a philosophy, especially in the face of conformism and oppressive authority. His character illustrates how an individualist attitude can inspire the oppressed and actively disintegrate authority and shift the status quo. So, in terms of purpose/director intention, we could say that Niccol is crafting a film that works as a meditation on the power and potential of individualism, especially in conformist societies. This is not only reading when can go with though. No good text has a single, stable, unlockable meaning. This is simply one way of viewing the film. Here is one more...

Vincent and Identity

So, while we can celebrate Vincents place as a hero in this world who overcomes conformity through his own potent brand of individualism, his story is more complex than this. His story can be seen as a parable of the individual who tries to infiltrate the conformist society. We know that Vincent is different, he is very much an individual in this society and he goes through this film actively infiltrating an extremely conformist society. Basically, his story is a parable of the individual and the police state.

The Police State

Thesocial, economic and political state in which the government exercises rigidexhibits elements of the term police state describes a life of the population. A police state typically and repressive controls over totalitarianism and social control, and of political power by the executive. there is usually little or no distinction between the law and the exercise The inhabitants of a police state experience restrictions on police monitoring or enforcement. to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to their mobility, and on their freedom While Gattacasignificant elements of state in the waymentality going on. The reason isnt a complete 1984 are, there are stillstate to define thepolicethebecause the values of this society have beenwhy I Tale comfortable police state that dystopias like The Handmaids feel and such a way usingsignificantly privilege genetic perfection. This becomes a powerful means of control - it is possibly the world is developed in as to police of control to ensure conformity. And Vincent is significantly disadvantaged because he is an ultimate to the point that he ends up in legal and physical danger because he tries to undermine the systems means In-valid, that exist withina significant The fact that Vincent doesnt goingthe freedom to seek the life that he wants, suggests to me the society. element of police state-ness have on.

The individual vs. the police state

Vincent successfully infiltrates the police state of Gattaca. He manages to break in to this conformist society that he does not belong in. The consequence of this though are fairly hefty. The price seems to be his identity and the complete loss of his individuality. Initially, the price is that he must live a strict, cold, fairly lonely existence for the most part - he does go some parties, but for the most part we see him isolated from others in Gattaca or with only Jerome for company. The montage sequences (technique) of Vincent arranging and preparing the things he needs to fool the rest of society are really nice examples of this. He is always shot alone. The props are distinctly sterile and the lighting is usually quite low-key, enhancing the lonely and isolated feel of the spaces he inhabits. And this is the same with the multiple shots of Vincent cleaning himself - he is fundamentally alone, under cold, harsh light these are really strong representation of the sterile isolated nature of his life as an individual trying to exist in a conformist society.

Identification
There is also the constant threat of his true identity being revealed. There is constant surveillance in the world that Vincent tries to infiltrate. We see this really early in the film with the shot through the computer screen. This is a really nice example of the constant monitoring that the individual must deal with if they try to break into a conformist society that they dont belong in. This comes back again really nicely in the sequence with Vincent on the treadmills. The continued returns to close ups of the heart monitors illustrate the extent to which Vincent is monitored. The prop itself is a nice symbol for the attitudes of society. It monitors constantly, desperately seeking flaws so as ensure perfection. The overall consequence is a constant state of fear at being discovered and identified as a fraud. Vincent has moments of crisis throughout the film where he thinks he has been identified. This causes significant panic and leads to an overall sense of paranoia.

Assimilation
The main threat that Vincent faces is assimilation by the system. I think it could be argued that Vincent is assimilated by the system in the end. He becomes very much like all the other Gattaca employees, and with the destruction of Jerome, there is no longer any need for Vincent to exist. To an extent this is supported by the way in which the end is filmed. Vincent turns away after his final medical exam (now officially a Valid - authorised by a member of the Gattaca regime) and becomes yet another faceless individual. He looks just like all the others that travel down the tunnel before him. Most telling are the final tracking and close up shots. The closing tracking shots connect Vincent very clearly to the other pilots - representatives of the Gattaca system. The shot is essentially suggesting that he is just another pilot, just another clone of the system. The final close ups illustrate a distinct lack of emotion in Vincent. This is in striking contrast to the Vincent we saw at the beginning of the film who sets up models of the planets in his school yard, pours over the textbook in his family home and argues with his family over his potential. The lack of emotion, nicely highlighted by the shot choice suggests that he is more connected to the other emotionless pilots of the ship than the passionate, ambitious child and teenager we are shown earlier in the film.

Interpretation
And so we could say that Niccol is also highlighting the difficulty of infiltrating a conformist system and sustaining an individual identity. I would say that Vincent fails. His desire to break in to Gattaca comes at the expense of his individuality. So, to an extent, Niccol is highlighting the power and allure of the conformist system and the power it has to quell rebellion by assimilating those who might be capable of being a threat to it. Perhaps though, it is more of an indictment on the conformist system itself, rather than on Vincent as a character. Perhaps this is Niccol suggesting that the conformist system demands that all of its inhabitants give up their individual identities in order to sustain the success of the system. And so we could maybe see the intention of the film as a warning against conformity, that what it does is destroy individuality and assimilate the people that we loved because of their difference. I think this is probably a more likely intention on the part of the director and so you should feel quite comfortable about talking about the way in which the film acts as a warning against conformity. It uses its genetically perfect world as a metaphor for all conformist societies and Vincent as a representative of how these societies cans strip once free individuals of their very identities.