I am also new to this listserv. I loved Gattaca myself, and am glad that
someone has opened some discussion on the subject. I didn't see this as an
anti-abortion film at all. Your thoughts are interesting, and I for one would
like to see them developed more. My concern with the film had to do with its
treatment of a dualistic worldview. Historically women have been aligned with
the body (a negative image in philosophical and religious systems) while men
have been aligned with the more acceptable and preferred spirit. This movie
shows how the body becomes a sort of trap or cage for those who want to soar
above it. I felt that his desire to leave the earth, for ethereal space was
also his escape from his body and all that it stood for. I was ambivalent
about the message in the end. (remember that the doppelganger of the film
Eugene, destroys his "perfect" body in the furnace.) *****sorry to anyone who
hasn't seen the film. What does the body signify in the film? It never
really contains anything positive, except that it can contain the means for
escape. I was also a bit disturbed that the only realized female in the film,
was indeed mired in her "genes." She never even thought or conceived of a way
out. She merely accepted her fate. Also the only other woman in the film was
Jerome's mother. (and even her character never really developed.) Is the
future elite to be men only? The problem with choosing your future children,
also means discriminating on another front...choosing male children over
female children.(look at what happens in India and some Middle Eastern
children.) I could go on and on...I found the film refreshing, but as I began
to examine the role of women and the body as represented in the film, I felt a
bit ambivalent as to what it's trying to say.
I welcome any replies.
Julien R Fielding
----------
From: For discussion of feminist SF, fantastic & utopian literature on behalf
of Susan Palwick
Sent: Monday, November 03, 1997 2:24 PM
To: FEMINISTSF@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU
Subject: Re: [*FSFFU*] Gattaca
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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