You Chicken?

“It was the one moment in our lives that my brother was not as strong as he believed and I was not as weak. It was the moment that made everything else possible.”

The day Vincent out swam Anton was the day that their relationship was put on hold. It was a day that brought hope to Vincent, a day that made him realize that genes do not define one's fate.

Looking at the brotherly relationships in GATTACA, I wanted to point out some differences in the relationships between Vincent and Anton and between Vincent and Gerome/Eugene. While watching the movie, I think it is easy to forget who the older brother is. Although Vincent is two years older than Anton, we don’t really see many flashbacks that distinguish this difference in age. Even at the age of 10, Vincent’s 8-year old brother is at least 2 inches taller. Because Anton was genetically engineered with the “better” genes, Vincent grew up with the idea that Anton was stronger because “he had no excuse to fail.” He, on the other hand, had every excuse to fail. But that day in the ocean, when Vincent kept swimming, he was no longer the chicken but was someone different. That was the day he finally broke free from his parents’ hold, his parents’ belief that he was incapable of living a life better than he was genetically predisposed. When asked by Anton, “How are you doing this, Vincent?” He simply replied, “Do you want to know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back.” All he knew was where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do and that was enough. As long as he kept dreaming and pushing himself, he knew he would be able to achieve the “impossible.”

The relationship that Vincent had with Gerome/Eugene was an intimate one. In class, we talked about the significance of Gerome as a homemaker and Vincent as a working man who financially supports his household, but another way to look at their relationship would be to see it as a brotherly one. It's interesting how their relationship develops throughout the movie; it starts out as bickering and jokes (vodka in the pee) to one that is supportive and caring. This relationship seems more like one between brothers than did Vincent’s with Anton. Although Vincent and Anton were biologically “brothers” they never had what was between Vincent and Gerome. The latter pair would celebrate together (getting drunk at the bar) and always took care of each other. In the end when Vincent is about to leave for Titan, Gerome tells him something that no one in his family has ever told him: “I’m proud of you, Vincent.” Here, Gerome calls him by his real name showing that he knew who he really was and that he was proud of the real him. They shared a mutual relationship where one supported the other; Gerome sums it up saying, “I lent you my body. You lent me your dream.”