Scenes 10 – 12: Vincent/Jerome and Jerome/Eugene’s celebration (“I’m going up” to “I’m proud of you Vincent”)
This is the first scene after the flashbacks, situated in the film’s current time. Vincent tells Jerome that he passed the interview and will be going into space in a week (“I’m going up”) and the two go out to celebrate, following Jerome’s suggestion—“we have to get drunk immediately.” The scene then cuts to an elaborate dance hall which starkly contrasts to the squalid apartment. The dance hall is bright, spacious and ornately decorated and filled with people in intricate attire. This perfectly suits the celebratory mood of the scene. Meanwhile, back at Gattaca, we see Irene check out a specimen of Vincent's. Unbeknownst to her, Vincent left a strand of Jerome's hair in his drawer (precisely in case an inspection took place) and this is the strand she tests. The results come back and Vincent (but really Jerome) is pronounced to be "quite a catch".
As Vincent and Jerome drink together, we are provided with more insight into Jerome’s character. When Vincent asks Jerome what he’s going to do while he’s in space, Jerome is hesitant and avoids the question. He then mutters “I’m going to finish this” while downing his glass of wine. In this exchange, Jerome’s true loneliness is made apparent and we strongly empathize with him. Vincent tells Jerome that he should be going to Titan, because up there his legs wouldn’t matter. Jerome replies that he’s “scared of heights.” Whether this is a truthful confession or sarcastic remark, it illustrates Jerome’s lack of determination and drive. As Jerome is representative of the plight of the valids, this suggests that valids typically lack the strength and determination that comes from overcoming obstacles. This is further supported by Vincent’s statement “Jerome had been genetically engineered with everything he needed to get into Gattaca, except the desire to do so.” It is bitterly ironic that the valid who was capable of anything became subjected to a lonely existence in a squalid basement, while an in-valid destined for nothingness has a chance to reach the stars. By the end of their night drinking, Jerome is really drunk and Vincent has to help him into bed. At this point, Jerome confesses: he didn't become paralyzed in an accident, he tried to commit suicide. "If at first you don't succeed try try again" he says.
Back at Gattaca, an 'invalid' specimen has been found which the detectives believe to be crucial evidence in the murder. It's Vincent's 'invalid' eyelash, which they of course do not connect with their employee Jerome Morrow. At their home, Vincent records twenty minutes of Jerome's pulse while exercising to use as his own exercise heart rate at work. On the running machine at Gattaca, Vincent looks steady and Dr. Lamar comments that his pulse does too: "Jerome Jerome the metronome" he calls him. Director Josef is informed by investigator Anton (who we realize is Vincent's brother) and Director Hugo of the new suspect. Anton, suspecting that it's his brother who is the key suspect, asks Director Josef what kind of people work at Gattaca. He is trying to decipher whether it would be possible for his brother to work as a borrowed ladder there. It doesn't seem so: their standard is "beyond that of the common citizen." This conversation takes place while Vincent is on the running machine, and in the same room too. Vincent, to all extents and purposes, looks to be fulfilling the criteria of a Gattaca employee; his pace and heart rate is steady. But the twenty minutes Vincent recorded of Jerome's pulse is up and the heart rate suddenly skyrockets. Vincent quickly dismounts the treadmill and, as composed as he can be in front of his Gattaca colleagues, leaves to the locker room. Alone in the locker room he collapses in a fit of heaves as he tries to catch his breath.
Scenes 14 – 18: Vincent/Jerome and Irene roof scene and first date (“I see I’m not the only one who looks up” to “I guess it must be the light”)
The first significant interaction between Vincent and his Gattaca co-worker Irene occurs when he approaches her on the roof while she watches a rocket taking off. She tells him that an 'invalid's' eyelash has been found as key evidence in the murder. She also admits to having had his DNA sequenced (in reality it was Jerome Morrow’s DNA, not Vincent’s DNA), and says he's “everything they said he is and more.” This is ironic, as Vincent's DNA would indicate precisely that he is not who he claims to be. Irene shares her shortcomings with Vincent, telling him that she could never be an astronaut because, despite her superior genes, she has a risk of a heart attack. When Vincent tells her “if there’s anything wrong with you, I can’t see it from where I’m standing,” Irene hands him a lock of her hair and encourages him to test it, in order to discover her genetic flaws. This is indicative of her mindset at the start of the film, that genetics are an honest mark of a person’s worth. Her appearance also aligns with this view, as her professional suit and clean bun align her with the Gattaca elite. Vincent tosses away the hair strand, claiming that the wind blew it, representing his attitude that a person’s DNA is not an accurate representation of who they are, and that he will like Irene regardless of her genes.
Later on, Vincent tells Jerome that he's the key suspect in the Mission Director's murder. Vincent, anxious the house will be raided and they will come looking for him, starts to throw Jerome's samples out. Jerome stops him and reassures him that no on would believe that an invalid could possibly rise up the ranks in Gattaca. Vincent decides to go out, adding "if I'm gonna get arrested tomorrow, I'm going to go out tonight." And so he does, on his first date with Irene. When Irene arrives at the apartment to pick Vincent up, she sees Jerome staring out the window, illustrating the parallel between the two characters. Vincent and Irene go to a piano concert, and this romantic scene is intercut with Director Hugo's rounding up of invalids in order to find the murderer. At their house, Jerome is visited by an investigator, who is surprised to discover that Jerome is a valid who works at Gattaca. Insulted that the investigator questions his identity, Jerome shouts after him. The music from the concert plays over this whole section. After the concert, the pianist throws his glove into the audience, and Vincent realizes he has twelve fingers. When he comments “twelve fingers or one, it’s how you play,” Irene counters this by stating “that piece can only be played with twelve.” Again, Irene shares the view of the elite. On their way home, Irene and Vincent are stopped by the investigators. As ever, Vincent has one of Jerome's blood pouches attached to the tip of his finger and so passes security. He also takes out his contact lenses so as not to attract suspicion: a valid of his status would only have 20/20 vision. What this means, though, is that when Irene suggests the two go to see sunrise over the solar panels, Vincent can hardly see anything.
Analysis
When it's confirmed that the mission to Titan is going ahead, Vincent tells Jerome: "I'm going up." He means into space, but he also means up the ladder—the "borrowed ladder" of Jerome's DNA sequence. He's defying science and making it against the odds.
Out at drinks together, Vincent tells Jerome that being weightless is the closest thing to being in the womb. He is talking about going up into space. We have already seen the potential echo of the planets and the curved architectural motifs with the womb: here Vincent makes the connection explicit. His journeying into space will be like the experience of being back in the womb: this, after all, must have been the last place he felt safe and accepted, before the information about his genetic makeup affected every experience in his life. Jerome asks Vincent what Titan is like, and Vincent replies: "All the time it's got a cloud around it so thick no one can tell what's underneath." Vincent is traveling all the way to Titan to find out what is there, under the surface of that cloud. As he tells Jerome, "there's something there." In Gattaca's world, everyone has a cloud around them: that cloud is their DNA code. Vincent is dedicated, both in himself and with the mission, to uncovering what is beneath the superficial appearance, the manifest "data." It is significant that when Vincent tells Jerome that it should be him going up into space, Jerome refutes his comment by answering, "I'm scared of heights." Despite his genetic advantages, Jerome's genes were not able to ensure success for him: after all, they cannot control desire nor willpower nor thoughts and anxieties. Jerome is scared of heights: whatever advantage he may be at genetically, he will never be able to climb the ladder or go into space like Vincent.
By the end of the night it's Jerome and not Vincent who's sick from drinking - again, it's his body that shows vulnerability, not Vincent's. Perhaps this points again to his mental vulnerability; the references to his dependence on alcohol as well as his suicide attempt make it clear that his head can be a dark place to inhabit. The excellent genes do not account for every aspect of what's inside him. As Jerome says, "I go places. I travel in my head." When he stepped out in front of the car, he explains to Vincent, he'd never been more sober in his life. His mind was clear—he didn't want to be on the planet anymore. Vincent feels similarly about being on the planet only he, despite the disadvantages and discrimination he faces, finds a way out.
Vincent hooks Jerome up to a heart monitor to capture 20 minutes of him exercising and sits down to wait. Once again Vincent is behind glass, glass that separates him from being 'valid,' that fundamentally places a divide between him and Jerome. After his 20 minutes on the running machine at Gattaca, wired up to Vincent's heart rate results, pretending that this exercise is effortless, we see Jerome hurl himself into the changing room, falling on to the lockers and then onto the iron grill, completely out of breath. He is confined by his physical weakness and we see that here, from the other side of the bars. Alone, he is able to express the effort it takes to push himself this far; in company he must keep the act up. We see that keeping up this dual identity is punishing.
It must be noted that in this high-tech world where every detail is examined, where an eyelash offers essential genetic information, nobody picks up on the fact that the face of the 'wanted invalid' is Vincent's face. So closely does the society examine its specimens, that they cannot zoom out enough to see what, for us, would be the most obvious thing in the world. Just as in the opening shot where it is hard to recognize familiar materials such as nails and hair, the society in Gattaca has focused its lens so tightly that the most obvious things are unrecognizable. As Jerome points out, "when they look at you they don't see you anymore, they only see me." The detail is so in focus that the bigger picture has become blurry, and it is for this reason that Vincent, a highly capable and determined individual, is discriminated against: because the detail of his matter, the information offered by his genetic makeup, is below par. Sadly for him, that's the only result the society is interested in; the rest of him is irrelevant.
Irene and Jerome sit in a circle around the pianist during the classical concert on their first date. Symbolically there is something harmonious about this complete shape and it seems they feel so too. As the music plays, we cut to a line of 'invalids' being inspected; the perspective we get is through a curved mirror. The mirror image in this curved shape does not tell such a harmonious story. Once again the curve of the mirror is juxtaposed with the line of the invalids—we see them contained and controlled in this shot—and once again the mirror serves to separate 'invalid' from 'valid' life. These invalids have been rounded up and are being searched in a cordoned off area, while Anton and Detective Hugo walk past on the other side; the different lives the 'invalids' and 'valids' lead is apparent. The music plays throughout, juxtaposing the experiences of these 'invalids' with Vincent's to great effect. We see how the invalids are treated, debased and manhandled, all the while the invalid, Vincent, sits in a classical concert, having managed to escape his identity. Interestingly we see how Jerome is treated by a detective who asks for a reading. The detective can't believe he works at Gattaca, seeing as he's in a wheelchair. Eugene is disgusted by his lack of respect and shouts after him. Presumably this is not treatment that he, as a high scoring valid, is used to. We see how arbitrary the rules of 'scoring' are in Gattaca and how fiercely and how unjustly people are treated because of it.
