| Dialogue | Scene where vincent beats anton swimming second time. he says “I never saved anything for the swim back.” | This line is talking about vincents determination and ambition to do whatever it take to succeed, no matter the consequences. |
In the 1997 film Gattaca, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, he expertly shows the theme of ambition through the use of specific dialogue. In the second swimming competition between Vincent and Anton, Vincent uses a powerful line to show his ambition and determination, “I never saved anything for the swim back.” This line carries all of Vincent’s perspective on his ambition, saying that he has escaped the fear of failure, and is willing to sacrifice everything he has, just to prove the dystopian society wrong, and achieve his dream. In this case his willingness to risk drown to prove that he can do everything that the ‘valids’ can. Andrew Niccol uses dialogue in this case to not just tell the audience of his ambition, but to also show how Vincent’s incredible determination is unique, and he has this determination because of the obstacles he faces, and how Anton realises the power of it, as he knows that he will not beat Vincent with skill alone. This is also a message to humans, showing that ambition and determination can do the impossible, and can achieve more than eugenics ever will.