Last week I went to the Flora Friday Film night where we watched the 1997 science fiction film Gattaca. I particularly liked Gattaca because I’m taking a personal genomics class this semester which touches on many of the same issues as the film. Of course, the film simplifies many complicated situations in order to send a message, the message being that using gene editing technologies could have disastrous consequences for society. Gattaca told the emotional story of a man who had unedited genes in a world where everyone was designed for a role in life. Since ___’s genes were unaltered, employers would not hire him because it was riskier than hiring someone whose genes were better for the job. Even though there’s no guarantee the gene edited individual would perform better in the job, the simple fact that they had a higher probability of success was enough for __ to get rejected. Despite all its criticism of gene editing and its social consequences, Gattaca did not propose or mention any superior reality other than the current “unedited” world we live. This is because the film was made for entertainment, not for serious scientific or social debate. Most, if not all, of consequences we see in Gattaca can be avoided by government regulation and societal ethical standards. It was briefly mentioned in the movie that employee genetic discrimination was illegal but it made no difference because all employers ignored the law. The two sentences dedicated to this idea in the movie seem completely ridiculous. It’s similar to saying that there’s no point to passing the American’s with Disabilities Act because all employers would ignore the law, which is obviously not the case. No employer is brazen enough to openly discriminate like the employers in Gattaca did; Even if they tried to break the law, we live in the United States, people would sue.

In addition to glossing over possible regulations, the movie didn’t explore the possible benefits of gene editing. If gene editing becomes cheap enough, many science fiction scenarios can become real. Many diseases will become nonexistent, and the average IQ could become in the hundreds, which in itself will have major positive consequences we can’t anticipate.

Overall, I love Gattaca. Sure, I don’t think the dystopia it depicts will become real (or that it’s even likely), but it was a great piece of storytelling that makes the viewer think about issues they might not have if they hadn’t watched the movie.