In today's society, scientific knowledge becomes more advanced by the second. The knowledge to eliminate emerging diseases, such as AIDS, and human cloning are almost within reach. New understanding of the human genome has also made genetic engineering reasonable. This type of gene alteration is used as a therapeutic and preventative measure against many deficiencies that have been identified in the human species. Although there is a universal consciousness to the ability to perform such genetic engineering, it doesn't mean society agrees that it should be practiced. .
In Andrew Niccol's cinema production Gattaca, the opening seen begins with text from the Holy Bible that states, " Consider what God has done; who can straighten what He has made crooked?" The film is staged around a world of the future that employs the newfound dogma of genetic engineering. The movie projects a society that is based on achievement and success (Gattaca, Niccol). When a family decides to bring a child into being, they have a choice for conception. In the world of Gattaca, the druthers facing prospective parents favor the selective mentality to ensure their offspring a prosperous life. .
The first option for reproduction in the world of Gattaca is that in which is deemed "divinely intended." This idea is based on the traditional Christian belief that God intended for humankind to conceive a child while experiencing the most intimate relationship of sexual intercourse, or while making love. This view looks at God as a the Designer, and anything designed by Him, such as a child, should be revered as special and unique. .
In a flashback scene of the film we become present during Vincent's conception in the back seat of a car. His parents were experiencing one another to the fullest. While .
they were making love, the camera fades out to focus on a cross hanging from the rear-.
view mirror in the windshield (Gattaca, Niccol).
