The Disturbing Rise of Neo-Eugenics

n the “not-so-distant future” of the 1997 sci-fi thriller Gattaca, society is divided by genetic status. The protagonist, played by Ethan Hawke, is a naturally conceived “invalid”, while Jude Law plays a former swimming champion whose life was engineered for perfection. Law’s traits had been selected by a geneticist, his fate inscribed in his cells. He was “never meant to be one step down on the podium” — so when he wins silver instead of gold at the Olympics, he throws himself in front of a car. In a society that promises perfection, the psychological cost of failure is high.