Gattaca Page #5

MARIA:

(interrupting, anxious)

--We didn't want--diseases, yes.

ANTONIO:

(more diplomatic)

We were wondering if we should leave some

things to chance.

GENETICIST:

(reassuring)

You want to give your child the best possible

start. Believe me, we have enough imperfection

built-in already. Your child doesn't need

any additional burdens. And keep in mind,

this child is still you, simply the best of you.

You could conceive naturally a thousand times

and never get such a result.

ANTONIO:

(squeezing Maria's hand)

He's right, Maria. That's right.

Maria is only half-convinced, but the Geneticist swiftly moves

on.

GENETICIST:

Is there any reason you'd want a left-handed

child?

ANTONIO:

(blank)

Er, no...

GENETICIST:

(explaining)

Some believe it is associated with creativity,

although there's no evidence. Also for

sports like baseball it can be an advantage.

ANTONIO:

(shrugs)

I like football.

GENETICIST:

(injecting a note of levity)

I have to warn you, Mr Luca, he's going

to be at least a head taller than you.

Prepare for a crick in the neck in

sixteen years time.

Antonio beams proudly.

GENETICIST:

(scanning the data on the screen)

Anything I've forgotten?

MARIA:

(hesitant about broaching the subject)

We want him--we were hoping he would get

married and have children. We'd like

grandchildren.

GENETICIST:

(conspiratorial smile)

I understand. That's already been taken

care of.

(an afterthought)

Now you appreciate I can only work with

the raw material I have at my disposal but

for a little extra...I could also attempt to

insert sequences associated with enhanced

mathematical or musical ability.

MARIA:

(suddenly enthused)

Antonio, the choir...

GENETICIST:

(interjecting, covering himself)

I have to caution you it's not fool-proof.

With multi-gene traits there can be no guarantees.

ANTONIO:

How much extra?

GENETICIST:

It would be five thousand more.

Antonio's face falls.

ANTONIO:

I'm sorry, there's no way we can.

GENETICIST:

Don't worry. You'll probably do just

as well singing to him in the womb.

(rising to end the appointment)

We can implant the most successful

pre-embryo tomorrow afternoon.

Maria is staring at the four magnified clumps on the screen.

MARIA:

What will happen to the others?

GENETICIST:

(reassuring)

They are not babies, Maria, merely

"human possibilities".

Removing the petri dish from beneath the lens of the microscope,

he points out the four minuscule specks.

GENETICIST:

Smaller than a grain of sand.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. TRACT HOME. DAY.

A red pencil draws a mark on a doorway at the height of a

child's head. The child moves away and the name, "ANTON 11" is

written beside the mark by proud father, ANTONIO.

JEROME (VO)

That's how my brother, Anton, came into the

world - a son my father considered worthy

of his name.

There is little physical similarity between 11-YEAR-OLD ANTON

and 13-YEAR-OLD VINCENT standing beside him, apart from their

height. In fact Vincent is mortified to see that his younger

brother's mark is a fraction of an inch higher than the mark

beside his own name, "VINCENT 13". Vincent runs from the room.

EXT. BEACH. DAY.

13-YEAR-OLD VINCENT and 11-YEAR-OLD ANTON sit together on a

windswept beach.

Anton picks up a broken shell and deliberately slices the tip of

his thumb with the sharp edge. He hands the shell to Vincent

who hesitantly follows suit.

JEROME (VO)

By the time we were playing at blood

brothers I understood that there was something

very different flowing through my veins.

The two brothers press their thumbs together, merging the blood.

JEROME (VO)

And I'd need an awful lot more than

a drop if I was going to get anywhere.

EXT. BEACH. LATER IN THE DAY.

While ANTONIO and MARIA doze under a beach umbrella, ANTON and

VINCENT enter the water, diving through the waves. From above

we watch their two young bodies swimming beside each other

beyond the breakers.

JEROME (VO)

Our favorite game was "chicken". When our

parents weren't watching, we used to swim outside

the flags, as far out as we dared. It was about

who would get scared and turn back first.

Suddenly VINCENT stops swimming, pulling up sharply in the

water, exhausted and fearful. He watches ANTON swim on into the

distance.

JEROME (VO)

Of course, it was always me. Anton was by far

the stronger swimmer and he had no excuse to fail.

INT. SCHOOL - CLASSROOM. DAY.

A TEACHER gives a physics lesson. The bespectacled 13-YEAR-OLD

VINCENT has his arm energetically raised at each opportunity but

is never called upon. Eventually he lowers his arm in defeat.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote