Today we were told to search for a film or song related to architecture, just to make clearer the obvious relation that exists between them. When I heard the assignment, the film Gattaca came almost instantly to my mind. So, in this page, we will be reviewing the scenes of this wonderful film movie.
Gattaca is a science fiction and drama film (also considered as biopunk) , of north american origin, which was released in 1997. It was written and directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman y Jude Law.
The film is based on concerns about reproductive technologies that promote eugenics and the possible consequences of such technological developments on society. It also explores the concept of destiny and the ways in which it can and does dictate life . Gattaca’s characters are constantly struggling with society and themselves to find their place in the world and what their genes mean to them.
The main plot would be something like this:
Vincent Freeman, the main character, was conceived naturally and his genetic profile indicates a high probability of various disorders and an estimated lifespan of 30.2 years. His parents, regretting his decision, use IVF, PGD and genetic engineering to create his second child, Anton. Growing up, the two brothers often play the “chicken game” by swimming as far out to sea as possible, with the first to return to shore being deemed the loser; Vincent always loses. Vincent dreams of a career in space travel, but is always reminded of his genetic inferiority. One day, Vincent challenges Anton to a game of chicken and wins this time. To hide his identity, Vincent must meticulously groom and scrub every day to remove his own genetic material,
When a Gattaca administrator is murdered a week before a possible release, the police find one of Vincent’s eyelashes near the scene of the crime. Recognizing him as an invalid rather than an employee, they immediately assume the owner is a suspect and launch an investigation. During this, Vincent becomes close to a co-worker, Irene Cassini, with whom he shares a mutual attraction. Although valid, Irene is at increased risk of accidental heart failure that will prevent her from participating in any space mission. The brothers meet and Anton warns Vincent about his illegal actions, but Vincent claims that he has come to this position through his own merits. Anton, not wanting to believe this, challenges Vincent to one last game of chicken. As the two swim through the night, Vincent’s resistance surprises Anton and Vincent reveals that he won by not saving his energy to swim back. Anton turns around and begins to drown, but Vincent rescues him again and swims him back to shore.
On the day of the launch, Jerome reveals that he has stored enough DNA samples for Vincent to last “two lifetimes” upon his return, and gives him an envelope to open “up”. After saying goodbye to Irene, Vincent prepares to board but discovers that there is one last urine test and that he currently does not have any of Jerome’s samples, but is shocked when Dr. Lamar, who is overseeing the health checks, reveals who knows that Vincent has been passed off as valid.
So, lets start analyzing the role of architecture in this movie. It is obvious that the aim of all the buildings in the recording is to contextualize the scenes and to create the different atmospheres related to the plot and theme of the film. This is easily understandable through the use of examples:
“Marin County Civic Center“
This is the most important building in Gatacca, because it is the Space Industry Center where Vincent will try to enter and work. It’s placed in San Rafael, EEUU; and designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
As seen in the photos, it was the neofuturist/distopic style of the building that made the director choose it for the recording of most of the scenes of the film, in both interior and exterior. The aesthetic of this construction made it not only appear in Gattaca, but also serve as inspiration in so many other film sagas such as Star Wars or series as Game of Thrones.
“CLA Building“
Again, the futurist design of this building made it be exhibited in the movie. The author is Antoine Predock, a north american architect with so many diverse projects such as dwelling houses or baseball stadiums.
That floating corner seen in the photos is one of the characteristics that make the building seem so futuristic. Personally, I think that this project fits perfectly with the environment that the director wanted to recreate in the film, and even more during night-time.
And last but not least, there are other scenes where architectural concepts play a huge role in the display. For instance, one of the most important stages of the movie was recorded in a canal, where the director plays with the symmetry to place the focus of the spectator where he wants.
I also have to mention the spiral staircase of Vincent’s brother’s house, which frequently appears in the film and that may represent the structure of DNA, appealing to the importance of genetics in the plot.
As a final reflection, I’d say that this task helped me to understand the importance of an art such architecture in the creation of works in other art disciplines. Buildings don’t appear only in films, but also in paintings and even music, as they are the space were we develop our life. I only wish that in the future, a building of mine I just want a project of mine to become part of a work by another artist.