Every few months, a film from the 1990s lands on Netflix and sparks a collective “Wait, have you seen this?” moment. Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca (1997) is currently having that renaissance. And unlike many nostalgic rewatches that rely on camp or retro charm, Gattaca arriving on a major streaming platform feels less like a trip down memory lane and more like a punch to the gut.
For the uninitiated: In the “not-too-distant” future, society has abandoned race and class for a new hierarchy—genetics. Children are conceived via genetic selection in petri dishes; “natural births” are stigmatized as faith births, and their offspring are labeled in-valids . Vincent (Ethan Hawke), one such invalid born with a heart condition and a 30.2-year life expectancy, dreams of space travel. To do so, he assumes the identity of Jerome (Jude Law), a valid genius paralyzed after a suicide attempt. The film is a thriller, a noir, and a quiet meditation on the soul versus the scorecard. gattaca netflix
9/10 – A haunting, prescient masterpiece that has only grown sharper with age. Stream it now. Every few months, a film from the 1990s