Scenes 5 -7: Flashback to Vincent’s arrival at Gattaca (“Like many others in my situation, I moved around a lot” to “I made up my mind to resort to more extreme measures”)
This next flashback focuses on Vincent’s beginnings at the Gattaca Institute. Due to his inferior DNA, he is only able to work as a janitor. The discrimination he suffers is explored in great depth through dialogue and symbols. The shot of the janitors sitting dejectedly on a moving truck, dressed in bleak grey costumes starkly contrasts with the opening shot of well-dressed professionals walking calmly down the Gattaca halls, emphasising the societal divide between ‘valids’ and ‘in-valids’. While cleaning, Vincent gazes up at the skylight and watches a spaceship take off. This represents the ‘glass ceiling’ effect, as he is unable to be on it and is destined to a life of menial labour. Vincent ironically narrates “I was never more certain of how far away I was from my goal, than when I was standing right beside it,” as he cleans the roof and watches the departing spaceships. The classical score is mournful, indicative of Vincent’s yearning to aspire for better things. When Vincent, while cleaning the main office, sits in a seat and imagines himself working there, the viewer feels a strong sense of empathy.
Although the head janitor constantly mocks Vincent’s dreams, this does not deter him. The head janitor rudely says “When you’re cleaning the glass, don’t clean it too well – you might get ideas,” to which Vincent boldly replies “If the glass is clean it will be easier for you to see me when I’m on the other side of it.” The fact that Vincent remains strong willed, despite all criticism and discrimination, is one of his most endearing qualities.
Scenes 7 – 10: Flashback to Vincent adopting Jerome’s identity (“The man who showed up at my doorstep” to “He may have more success exposing me in death”)
In the final flashback, Vincent explains exactly how he ‘became’ Jerome Morrow. Vincent meets a man who is able to provide him with ‘valid’ DNA. In a voice over, Vincent explains the process behind this—“For the genetically superior, success is easier to obtain, but it is not guaranteed. When, for some reason, a member of the elite falls on hard times, their genetic identity becomes a valued commodity for the unscrupulous.” This quote conveys a number of key ideas, for example, the rampant dehumanization caused by viewing humans as commodities, and the idea that identity can be measured by one’s genes.
We are then introduced to the real Jerome Eugene Morrow, a crucial character. We first hear about him through the man arranging the agreement. Jerome Morrow is described in a clinical and detailed way, as if he is an item to be exchanged or part of a business deal. “His credentials are impeccable. An expiration date you wouldn’t believe. He’s got an IQ off the register, better than 20/20 in both eyes, the heart of an ox. He could run through a wall, if he could still run.” The camera follows Vincent and the man into Jerome’s apartment. His apartment is small, squalid and dimly lit, indicative of Jerome’s pessimistic attitude and bitterness about his life. Jerome then enters, in a wheelchair, smoking and frowning. The cigarette smoke and dim interior are reminiscent of film noir, and emphasize that he is jaded and bitter. In this way, before Jerome even speaks, the audience is already aware of his characterization. The man explains that Jerome Morrow became wheel-chair bound after an accident overseas that was not recorded, allowing Vincent to assume his identity. When Jerome first speaks he is sarcastic and well-spoken, as when Vincent asks him who lives upstairs he replies “Well I certainly don’t,” a reference to his wheelchair bound state.
The film shows the various steps Vincent has taken to resemble Jerome, such as wearing blue contact lenses. This is significant because Vincent’s glasses are a symbol of his genetic inferiority and weaknesses, whereas the contacts provide the illusion of perfection. Vincent’s hair is also cut and styled to look exactly like Jerome’s. An optimistic classical score plays while Vincent stands next to a sepia photograph of the real Jerome, the two looking almost identical. There is still one last major obstacle. Because Jerome is taller than Vincent, Vincent has to undergo a painful procedure of having his legs broken and extended until he is the same height. Vincent is initially hesitant but then accepts that this is a necessary step he must do in order to get into Gattaca, claiming “I took my mind off the pain by reminding myself that when I eventually did stand up, I would be exactly 2 inches closer to the stars.” This is another stunning testament to his determination.
Jerome shows Vincent his silver medal from when he came second place in a swimming competition, and laments “Jerome Morrow was never meant to be one step down on the podium.” The silver medal is a strong symbol of the inherent flaws in the society depicted by Gattaca, as even the genetically superior elite, who are promised success, can fail. Jerome encourages Vincent to call him by his middle name, Eugene, so that Vincent can get used to being called Jerome.
This flashback ends when Vincent's preparations are all finished, and he is ready to apply to Gattaca. He opens a fridge full of urine pouches and blood samples – elements of Jerome's valid DNA. When he takes out a urine pouch and tests it on a machine it comes up with an error message, as the urine contains alcohol. The line “there’s more vodka in this piss than there is piss,” while humorous, illustrates that Jerome is an alcoholic, further conveying his miserable state.
The same doctor from the beginning of the film, Dr. Lamar, tests Vincent’s blood and the screen comes up with ‘Jerome Morrow: VALID’. He has successfully passed, and will now realize his ambition of working as an astronaut in Gattaca. In voice overs, Vincent explains how he constantly scrubs and rids himself of his loose skin, hair and fingernails, while Jerome provides him with his own samples of genetic material, while there are numerous close ups of these elements.
This marks the end of the flashbacks, as the film’s backstory is now explained. A key subplot of the film is now revealed—the mission director has been murdered, and investigators are trying to find the killer.
Analysis
When Vincent first arrives at Gattaca as a janitor, he stops right in front of the upwards escalator; this has significance. For the first time he finds himself in a position to be able to climb, and here he is at the start of his journey. As he turns around and looks through the curved glass of the skylight, he sees a rocket shooting up above him. On top of viewing these curved spaces as incomplete circles and references to space, we can also see them as alluding to the womb, to where Vincent started his life in the 'unnatural' way of things: as a faith birth. It is, after all, an enclosed and curved space we are referring to, the glass ceiling. The image of the rocket shooting past this curved structure could then foreshadow what will happen to Vincent: he will manage to travel past the restrictions of his birth, he will shoot past all expectations of him, and he will do so on a rocket.
Vincent's boss while he's a janitor sees him looking at the rocket: "dreaming of space?" he asks. "Come here—you can start by cleaning this space right here." The double meaning of space here is telling: Vincent admits that his attraction to space may be due in part to his dislike for the planet he is on, where he is judged according to statistics that confine him. Space is literally and metaphorically where he can get away from his genetic identity and be the person he feels he really is. His boss notices him again, staring through the glass at the sky. Here Vincent is separated twice over from the staff who work on the missions at Gattaca: once by the glass and again because he is facing in the opposite direction to them. At this stage he is far away from his dream. Nonetheless Vincent holds fast to his ambition and here we realize that seeing may be Vincent's way of believing. Close to his goal, and ensuring the windows are clean enough for him to see, he really believes he may be able to fly to space.
The man Vincent hires to find him an identity to steal immediately measures him, physically. This reminds us of what has been Vincent's constant experience: of being measured and, as with his brother in their home on the wooden frame, coming up short. And yet deep down, he doesn't believe that's who he really is. Vincent's home is dark, there are shutters on the windows that look like prison bars, hardly any light gets in, and there are books all over the desk. These are illuminated with light—the seriousness with which he approaches climbing the ladder is evident. The first Vincent sees of Jerome Morrow is not his face but his blood sample. This is the way in which interactions and connections are initiated in this world: genetic transparency. Jerome Morrow, Vincent is told, has "impeccable credentials" and an "unbelievable expiration date." The language used here is chillingly clinical: there is no talk of personality, just of quantifiable genetic qualities. And of course the irony is that after this talk, after hearing about a high-scoring 'valid' like Jerome Morrow, when we do eventually meet him he is in fact, by our definitions, an invalid—a man in a wheelchair. Although his home is mostly also dark, there is a long thin window looking out on to nature and trees. Though the natural world has been contained and controlled to a certain degree, it is refreshing to see nature here, quietly watching in on these two—the 'valid' and the 'invalid'—negotiating the next part of their lives. The window also offers a perspective on to the outside: a step in the direction Vincent is traveling.
Jerome shows Vincent his swimming medal. It's silver. Jerome can still hardly accept that he was "one step down on the podium" and says to Vincent: "with all I had going for me I was still second best, so how do you expect to pull this off?" Vincent's reply: "I don't know exactly" opens up the mystery of the film and of life. What ingredient is it that means that against all logic and against all the odds, people can and do still succeed? Gattaca's world has learnt to control and identify talent and status, yet it still cannot account for this fundamental mystery. One answer to the mystery may be desire—Vincent has the desire to excel. It is worth pointing out the similarity of the name Eugene to eugenics. If Eugene is the result of eugenics, he does not reflect well on it; willpower and desire, qualities Vincent has in abundanc,e have allowed him to fly, while Jerome is grounded very firmly on earth, unable even to walk.
Vincent prepares for his interview, but doesn't need one: his urine sample is all that's necessary to identify his worthiness. This world does not seem to take into account any qualities that may have been acquired after birth or indeed any qualities that might not show up on the genetic spreadsheet. But, as a result of his newly bought identity, Vincent is no longer looking through glass as Gattaca employees file past him in the other direction. As he stands at the top of Jerome's staircase, a staircase that looks like the double helix of a DNA strand, we see that despite all projections, Vincent is at the top and Jerome at the bottom. He is now a member of a new and detested segment of society: he is what is most commonly termed 'a borrowed ladder.'
