* glasses used to create an outcast
* glasses to show inferior health/physical weakness
I go in two directions with my tastes in science fiction. One direction is totally cheesy,
with plot holes, robots, overacting and costumes made out of various shiny materials. The other is dystopian, where the government or the system becomes too controlling, and people want to break free.
Gattaca is of the later;
This movie takes place in the future where your DNA makes or breaks you. A class system is developed by what is in your genetic make up, what diseases run in your family determines how high you can climb the corporate ladder. If you genetics are perfect or near perfect you are 'Valid' and if you have disease ridden family history you are 'Invalid'. With this new kind of eugenics; poor eyesight is rare. So anyone wearing glasses would automatically be an outcast.
I prolly wouldn't make it in this type of future.
The lead character Vincent Freeman, played by Ethan Hawke is what they call a "god child", which means he was born the natural way instead of the new way where parents put their DNA together for test tube baby. He was born with all the genetic baggage of both his parents, which means he does not have much of a future. His younger brother was born the test tube way, and was always stronger and better. Little Vincent is incredibly skinny, wears glasses and has a great passion for space travel.
Vincent's passion is so great it continues into adulthood, yet the only job he can have is to be a janitor. This character knows so much we want to see him succeed in pursuing his dreams. The only way he can pursue his dream is to take another identity, because in this world skills and knowledge mean nothing if you don't have the DNA to match. Mr. Adrian Monk provides Vincent with a plan, to take an identity of a stronger DNA person, and get a job in space travel. Vincent is to take the identity of a once Olympic swimmer, now crippled Jerome Morrow(Jude Law) , by using his DNA and living in the same fancy pants apartment. Vincent goes through great lengths to obtain a new identity. He gets surgery on his legs to match Jerome's height, He starts wearing contacts. He also scrubs his dead skin off every morning to leave no trace oh himself anywhere.
This character starts dating a coworker Irene (Uma Thurman) who is born near perfect for a "god child" she still has a risk of heart disease. A murder happens in their office, and the police are looking for an Invalid, which put Vincent on edge afraid his cover will be blown. On his date with Irene there is a police check with an eye scan. Vincent takes his contacts out, (I guess contacts are also illegal because they hide invalids) before the scan. Later Irene want to look at the landscape on a bridge, to do so they both have to cross a high traffic road. Irene dashes off, Vincent now vision impaired without his contacts is hesitant to cross. He somehow managed, but he did struggle to cross the road. Irene notices this, and as the movie goes on she suspects he truly an 'Invalid'.
Even though some truth is found out about him, (doesn't help if your brother is a detective) he goes on the big space mission, his masquerade got him his dream. Maybe while he is there the police will find the real murderer and leave him alone.
Glasses are used to show genetic inferiority, thus making the character also an outcast. We know there are fairly healthy people who also wear glasses. Yet in a future where everyone has their DNA altered to be 'Valid' poor eyesight along with everything else is being weeded out. When Vincent starts wearing contacts, he is trying to fit in to society's rigid rules. For this future the only way he can get a better life is to not be himself. It make me think of all the people I have met who refused to wear their glasses, and yet also can't handle wearing contacts. They go around squinting, claiming their vision is "not that bad". If you are not wearing glasses because you want people to see your eyes, in reality no one can see your eyes because you are squinting all the time. I also think of the people married to their contacts, are they pretending?
Is it really so bad to wear glasses? why hide yourself?
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