Validation of Identity is a key feature to many science fiction films. Discuss with reference to specific examples.
Validation of Identity is a key feature to many science fiction films. Discuss with reference to specific examples. One of the key issues present in science fiction culture is that of validation of your being, your identity. Indeed this issue is presented in varying levels through many films. But it is within science fiction that intricate systems of power and control are portrayed as if it were an ‘Orwellian’ fantasy. The notion that you are always being watched by a superpower, an omnipresent ‘Big Brother’ who knows and sees everything is a common theme both in film and in reality. This invasion of privacy evokes paranoia and insecurity, degrading you to the level of a nameless face, a drone that must fight for identity and individualism. There are many ways that this validation process is approached and I am going to look at the way different films deal with these issues.The Internet is a relative hotbed of projected identities. In this new and almost unregulated virtual domain people’s identities are no longer determined within society by image, gender, race or age. People can project any identity for any number of reasons. Detweiler states, ‘Today people’s ‘identity’ on the internet is primarily determined by their email address in the sense that this is their most unchanging face’ (Detweiler, 1993). People may mask their real identity on the internet to gain access to or infiltrate exclusive groups. For example hackers have found ways to mask their identity and position so as to avoid being traced or identified. The film most suited to answering this question is ‘Gattaca’ (1997). Niccol presents us a time when natural births are virtually non-existent anymore. If couples want a child they simply visit a geneticist who asks them to define their perfect child. The parents’ genetic codes are scrutinised and any defects such as inherited disease, obesity, mental illness etc. are removed whilst other qualities such as intelligence, athletic ability and strength can be enhanced, thus creating a flawless child. Babies who are born naturally have their DNA tested at birth which determines how long the child will live and probable cause of death. Immediately through no fault of their own these natural children are labeled as ‘Invalids’, genetically classed from birth. Without any choice these children are the outcasts of society, unable to succeed or progress simply because they are slower, weaker and less intelligent than the next. One’s ambition is crushed by the system in operation. Good jobs are unobtainable to invalids, with interviews consisting of a blood test
which is matched to the system records. This genetic discrimination does not allow or even care for the idea of being exceptional. You are designed for that job; the pursuit of excellence is built in. For invalids like Vincent Freeman the best he can hope for is a cleaning job, except that he dreams of being an astronaut. At birth he is given thirty years to live, cause of death diagnosed as a heart defect. The film shows Vincent’s battle to become a valid, to overcome the boundaries society has put up, by whatever means possible. Vincent must swap identities ...
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which is matched to the system records. This genetic discrimination does not allow or even care for the idea of being exceptional. You are designed for that job; the pursuit of excellence is built in. For invalids like Vincent Freeman the best he can hope for is a cleaning job, except that he dreams of being an astronaut. At birth he is given thirty years to live, cause of death diagnosed as a heart defect. The film shows Vincent’s battle to become a valid, to overcome the boundaries society has put up, by whatever means possible. Vincent must swap identities with a disabled man named Jerome Morrow, a valid member of society. It is interesting that in order to validate his identity in society, he must first invalidate his own identity. The lengths Vincent must go to during the transformation illustrate how determined he is to exceed the expectations of his DNA. The most testing being the extension of Vincent’s legs by two inches so as to match the height of his new identity.Throughout the film you witness the discrimination against the invalids of society, the supposed genetically weak, unheard and forgotten. Whilst the valids are subjected to a constant series of blood and urine testing to keep them separated from the lower class. The film is basically a metaphor of our own society, as we witness discrimination of age, race, gender, sexuality or even religion on a smaller scale. The difference being that the majority of society presented in the film believes this divide is justifiable. Vincent’s refusal to lie down and accept his fate beseeches us not to let the same happen in reality. Who should have the power to say that one individual has the right to a better life because of his genetic makeup. Today technology has reached the point where test-tube babies and cloning are possible, but not fully accepted by society. The words ‘Genetically Modified’ are regarded with mixed feelings but the future this film presents is perhaps closer than we think. We are constantly being validated on a lesser scale by CCTV cameras, credit-card authorisation, passwords and already in some countries by identification cards. As we see in the film, the more data recorded about an individual, the more there is to copy. We see identity theft on a lesser scale already with credit card fraud as the validation of identity is cheated.Uniformity is a central issue to the film ‘Equilibrium’ (2002), with stark similarities to George Orwell’s ‘1984’. Human emotion is seen as a disease, resulting in irrational and unpredictable behavior such as man’s inhumanity towards man. In Libria there is no murder, no crime and no violence except that of the enforcement squads. All human emotion is suppressed by a drug called ‘Prozium’, which must be injected everyday. Alongside this psychological and emotional slavery the inhabitants of Libria are encouraged to report any signs of emotion amongst their peers. Any emotional content or ‘Authentic’ artifacts such as books and art are collected for incineration. Any deviance from the universal identity or refusal to take the mind-numbing drug is know as ‘sense offending’ and is punishable by death. The film revolves around the highest ranking cleric, John Preston and his journey from an uncompromising agent of the system to becoming a sense offender himself. After Preston executes his partner for sense offence he accidentally misses a dose of Prozium and begins to feel for the first time. He is able to cover up his sense offences by hiding behind his old identity. Preston begins helping out the resistance after he arrests Mary O’Brien for a sense offence and a relationship begins to form between them. Towards the end of the film suspicions about Preston arise and he is forced to confront the party leader, ‘father’. He discovers that the so-called leader is also a sense offender, hiding in his luxurious quarters behind his falsely validated identity. The film presents interesting parallels with our own society albeit on a much smaller scale. The inhabitants of this post-apocalyptic dictatorship are fed information by big brother, or ‘father’ as he is known, forcing them to conform as part of the system. The media constantly tells us what’s good and bad for us, saturating people with images and information, telling us how to live, so as not to become a reject of society. The film tries to show us how the memories and feelings that accompany our individuality are what help define and validate our identity ‘we rely on our memories to validate our experiences’ (Burrows, 1995:176). We can say that memories are a vital component of identity. Memory is a major theme in ‘Blade Runner’ (1993) and ‘Total Recall’ (1990). Both of these films,’ offer provocative examples of individuals who identify with memories which are not their own’ (Burrows, 1995:177)Burrow’s says of Total Recall, ‘When memories might be separable from lived experience, issues of identity – and upon what identity is constructed – take on radical importance.’ (Burrows, 1995:179). Douglas Quaid is a construction worker whose recurring dreams encourage him to have memories of a trip to Mars implanted in his brain. The procedure goes wrong and another personality begins to surface. We begin to discover that Quaid’s identity is not authentic, and that all his memories including his marriage have been implanted. Finally he is confronted by his own face on a video screen which provides the unquestionable evidence that his memories are faked. The video is of his former identity, Hauser, whose claim to his body is a small part of the film but intrinsically linked to the issues of authenticity presented. Quaid has been the primary focus throughout the film, so does Hauser’s claim of authentic identity invalidate Quaid’s identity? Even though Quaid’s identity is built out of implanted thoughts and memories, the choice he makes to continue as Quaid rather than Hauser demonstrates that the real is not necessarily better or more valid than simulation.‘Face Off’ (1997) looks deeply at validation of identity within society and how an identity is built up of more than image. When Sean Archer borrows Caster Troy’s face in a plan to locate the whereabouts of a bomb, he underestimates the implications of taking on a new identity. Identity is of utmost importance especially to status within that area of society. To validate ones self requires not only the correct visual and physical elements but the disguise must stretch to the character and personality of that identity. The plan backfires when Troy steals Archer’s face, completing the swap. Both from very different worlds each must completely erase their ‘authentic’ identities from view to be accepted in their new environments. At first Archer is unable to accept his new identity namely because Troy killed his son. In prison Archer (as Caster Troy) must live up to the reputation of his new identity to survive the ordeal. When Troy (as Sean Archer) visits Archer in prison the full reality of the situation surfaces. Archer pleads with the guards, but as both characters have all but completed the transition into their new identities the story seems unbelievable and his attempt is futile. Troy (as Sean Archer) merely has to diffuse his own bomb for his identity to be established as authentic. Archer (as Caster Troy) must fight a seemingly impossible battle to regain his identity, even with the advantage that he knows everything about Troy. He must rely upon past experiences and knowledge for his authentic identity to be believed from beneath his elaborate disguise.Minority report documents the story of John Anderton, chief of the Justice Department’s Pre-Crime unit in the year 2054. Three psychics known as the Pre-cognitives are able to foresee murders before they take place. This information is fed to the pre-crime units who can arrest the perpetrator before the offence takes place. Since the beginning of pre-crime there have been no murders in Washington D.C. The prisoners are kept in stasis, their minds kept busy with memories of their lives. It isn’t long before Anderton is predicted to commit murder. Eluding the police in such a high-tech city is not easy when automatic retina scanning is mandatory throughout the city. Anderton must have an illegal eye transplant so as to bypass the retina scans while he discovers who set him up. Scanning the retina is seen as un-forgeable therefore mechanical spider devices are sent out to scan all humans in an area. Validation is by eye only so by obtaining a new set of eyes validates his new identity making him virtually invisible to his pursuers. Anderton is also given a device which temporarily deforms his facial structure making him unrecognisable and therefore able to deceive people who knew him as his authentic identity. The validation of Anderton’s identity is partly due to his reputation, numerous people believe that he is not capable of killing anyone despite the situation. The visions the pre-cogs have are true but the scene is set-up to make it look like murder. I have observed a variety of films where issues of identity are approached in differing ways. The general premise sees societies that constantly need to validate themselves as individuals and whole communities. We also see figures, normally the main character finding ways around this validation process. In ‘Equilibrium’ we see a society unified in its behavior, devoid of the individual, like a singular identity. This begins to change when Preston feels emotion for the first time; we can begin to see his identity as his own. On the other hand we have ‘Total Recall’ where Quaid is attempting to make sense of his identity, to separate what is real from what is simply implanted to deceive him. ‘Minority Report’, ‘Face Off’ and ‘Gattaca’ approach similar points, where a character must invalidate their authentic identity in order to better their situation. All of the films in question demonstrated use of technology to control and monitor identity. ‘Minority Report’ and ‘Gattaca’ seem to be more extreme in their control systems, striving to make society a better place. Yet in both films the main characters are seen to beat the system in pursuit or defense of their identity.BibliographyBlade Runner. (1992). Directed by Ridley Scott. UK.Burrows, F & R. (1995). Cyberspace, Cyberbodies and Cyberpunk. Sage.Detweiler, L. (1993). Identity, Privacy, and Anonymity on the Internet. http://eserver.org/cyber/identity.txtEquilibrium. (2002). Directed by Kurt Wimmer. USA.Face Off (1997). Directed by John Woo. ChinaGattaca. (1997). Directed by Andrew Niccol. New Zealand.Minority Report (2002). Directed by Stephen Spielberg. USA.Orwell, G. (1998). Nineteen Eighty-Four. Penguin.Total Recall. (1990). Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Holland.
