Gattaca
1997, 106 minutes, Digital, PG-13
USA
Language: English
Director: Andrew Niccol
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Jude Law, Loren Dean, and Ernest Borgnine
Distributor: Sony Pictures Repertory
What are the scientific and ethical issues surrounding genetic engineering? How closely do movie depictions of gene modification mimic real science, and what can they tell us about the ethics of this controversial technology? Join us for a screening and discussion of Gattaca, as we explore the science behind the movie, the future of gene modification, and the ethics and science of CRISPR, the powerful gene editing technology that promises to upend our notions of what it means to be human.
Expert Guests:
Dr. Nathaniel Comfort, Professor, Institute of the History of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Debra J.H. Mathews, Assistant Director for Science Programs, Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University
Prepare for the discussion with these class readings:
Why This Scientist Keeps Receiving Packages of Serial Killers’ Hair
Revisiting Gattaca in the Age of Trump
Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin and Jude Law star in this engrossing sci-fi thriller about an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. Hawke stars as Vincent, an “”In-Valid”” who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. However, a week before his mission, a murder marks Vincent as a suspect. With a relentless investigator in pursuit and the colleague he has fallen in love with beginning to suspect his deception, Vincent’s dreams steadily unravel.”
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