Let’s be honest here, when you binge three movies under the influence of the “corona stress” after working for the public for eight hours, there’s only one movie you actually gave all of your attention. Of course, it had to the the fantasy that caught my attention amidst the romance drama assigned to me. Ahem, please Celine, no one cares how long ago you broke up with your man. I have other problems. Gattaca is a movie that hit hard for me since I have this magical ability to make everything about black power or the mistreatment of African Americans in the United States. There goes my motivation slipping out.
The movie documented the life of Vincent Anton and his attempts to undermine society’s limitations on him based on his genetics. Two brothers who share essentially the same blood are put against each other due to the social norms that surround them and force one to think more of himself. Isn’t that the same as the institution of slavery – two human beings who share the same blood bring out the very worst in themselves while destroying any confidence or hopes of the other so that the institution stays in place? It might be a far jump, but it is in the right direction.
Gattaca makes us think about the ethical/social implications that surrounds the science of genetics and how humans can and will find ways to validate their need to fear and remain prejudiced using eugenics. According to Extrapolating Race in Gattaca : Genetic Passing, Identity, and the Science of Race by David A. Kirby, this form of media is used as a tool to warn and educate people on what is bio genetic engineering and the social effects that could possibly results from this act of God. Some things are better left as a curiosity. Manipulating genes only resulted in another way to rationalize prejudice and the mistreatment of whoever is considered less than.
Two Step Flow/multi-step flow is a transfers of a mediated message that is filtered through opinion leaders, friends, family and other sources. This situation is shown within the movie and outside of it. In the movie, Vincent receives social messages from his doctors, parents, siblings, and society that gives him the value of his genetics. In turn, he thinks of himself as less than until he is capable of surpassing the limits that he is expected to reach. Once he beats his brother at an endurance test in the ocean, he realizes that his genetic limitations does not predict his social abilities or undermines hard work. In my life, I watched Gattaca with an open mind because my professor told me to and his opinion matters a lot to me. I watch the movie looking for messages that he expects me to find and then some (hopefully).
My criticism is that Gattaca is similar to Uncle Tom’s Cabin and is written for a specific audience. American racism would be the best fuel for this movie however the segregation is downplayed when given lighter overtones of a white man living in a false reality. Vincent’s only threat is not actually jail but losing the dream. It does not show the actual punishment and loss that minorities in real life face when they try to attain the American Dream. Vincent’s threat of imprisonment for out smarting the system was too docile considering the punishment in real life would be death, financial strain, or health problems due to the increased about of stress.
Vincent is an example of the cultivation theory where his media shaped how he viewed the world and so he had to try to live within the means by being unhanded and switching lives. The web that the characters live in and how they interact with each other and objects (like a drinking glass) is a part of media ecology. The producers and directors technique for this movie goes along wit the uses and gratification theory. The characters use science to validate their actions and we, the viewers, use the movie as an example to somehow admit and correct ill behavior/prevent it. Vincent is under the effect of a third person when he cannot simply choose his own path but must borrow the dream of another (Jerome’s parents) and vice versa. We create a progressive society based on the template of the White American Male Norm. The casting puts into question what does a society look like where the desired, perfect genes for exploration – White Americans.
Whew! Now that I typed away my intense feelings about Gattaca, we review the final two movies. They just don’t hit the same way as Gattaca. Before Sunrise was sweet. That’s all I can really say about the movie. It filmed two heart broken people meeting each other while trying to escape from their own realities. What I can say I felt about the movie is “I’ve been there”. Having a connection with someone is similar to tasting food when you’re not hungry. You can either taste it, nod and say it’s good or that flavour could be the best thing you’ve eaten all day and you want another bite. I call this a vibe and some people are easier to vibe with than others. Meeting in person allows for an emotional connection that would be filtered out by opinion leaders and other platforms. Communicating in person calls for more than just verbal interaction. There is body language that tells a lot about the person and their attitude. Without this, bringing up a topic would be either vague or a bulleted list of mundane “fishing” questions like “Where are you from?”
Pump up the Volume reminded me of Disney’s Radio Rebel. Of course after watching movies I have to watch, I rinsed my eyes with something I wanted to be entertained by and Radio Rebel was just the movie. Simply put, Mark Hunter is an opinion leader. As isolated as he is, there is a lot to say as “Happy Harry” – especially about taking responsibility for the life every individual chooses to lead.
Each movie seemed to be the result of having or not having a gatekeeper to mediate conversation between the individual. Vincent’s world was mediated by scientists, his parents, and Jerome whose identity soon became his own. There is a lack of self control that is represented when we have media that influences our every thought. Vincent makes a desperate move to ignore the fate assigned to him which is how I feel about today’s politics. I am constantly bombarded with so called facts about the world I live in; soon I won’t believe I am human. Before Sunrise lacked a formal gatekeeper and most of the movie was between Jesse and Celine. They felt comfortable to openly expose truths about themselves which increased the connection the were feeling. I’d like to believe whenever I form a connection with someone it is because of an immediate trust I tend to feel when talking to the person. There is no Marxist view of the conversation – no one is buying anything but time and attention. Pump up the Volume was intense but it played out a battle between opinion leaders and the strength the public has in controlling who mediates their information. After all, radio stations need listeners. I am not sure if Hunter would have continued to his pirated station if the public did not listen to him but I do know that Nora wouldn’t have wanted to expose him if he did not have such powerful effects on the minds of fellow students. Each movie wasn’t necessarily a non-fiction piece of what would happen when gatekeepers play a major role in how we communicate. The films are just examples of what could happen when our information is mediated through society, ourselves, or a trusted opinion leader. After all, film is another form of media.
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