Re: [*FSFFU*] Gattaca

From: Susan Palwick (palwick@SCS.UNR.EDU)
Date: Mon Nov 03 1997 - 12:24:30 PST


Hello, everyone. I'm new to the list and glad to be here; I've been
following the discussion of book titles with special interest, since my
own first novel (Flying in Place) went through two other titles in
pre-production, while Tor was trying to decide how to market it.

I saw Gattaca this weekend and found it fascinating (and refreshingly well
done), and I wondered what other people thought about its treatment of
reproductive technology/women's issues. On the one hand, the film is very
much about marginality and about the humanity (and ability) of people
considered "inferior;" but on the other hand, it takes a pretty dark view
of the idea of reproductive choice as an expression of elitism, of the
entire idea of "wanted" children versus "unwanted" children. It thus
resonates oddly with -- *ahem* -- certain contemporary debates, and I'm
not sure what to make of this tension. The film says, simultaneously,
that everyone deserves choice (in career, in relationship) and that
"choosing" the kind of child you'll have is fundamentally an expression of
spiritual impoverishment. Or is the message simply that we should be able
to make choices in our own lives, but not to make decisions for others,
including the unborn? Am I incorrect in reading this film as a thoughtful
and beautifully produced argument against abortion?

I'll be curious to hear what all of you have to say. Nicola Griffith, I
read Slow River this weekend and loved it. Robin Reid, nice to see you on
the list. I'm looking forward to meeting you at the PCA conference!

Best regards,

Susan Palwick



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