Vincent Anton Freeman

For the man he impersonated throughout most of the movie, see Jerome Eugene Morrow. For another character with a similar name, see Anton Freeman.

Vincent Anton Freeman is one of the main characters in the 1997 science fiction movie, Gattaca. He is portrayed by Ethan Hawke.

Biography - Matthew Barling the Peanut Head

Early Life

Vincent Anton Freeman, unlike most children in his time, was born without genetic selection from Antonio and Marie Freeman. However, he was diagnosed with many problems as a child, due to many genetic mutations; his doctors said that he would only live up to around the age of 30.

The boy took a liking to science and was vastly interested by it; he wanted to work for Gattaca Aerospace Corporation and wished to be launched into space.

Vincent's younger brother, Anton, who was born via genetic selection, surpassed him in many aspects when the two were young. They often challenged each other to a game of Chicken, where Anton usually won. However, Vincent had triumphed at one point when Anton was about to drown, whom Vincent also manages to save.

When he is a young man, Vincent runs away from home to pursue a career in science. In addition, he rips his own face from a family portrait.

The Start of Something New

Vincent juggles jobs as he goes on, usually being a janitor. Eventually, he lands a job as a janitor at Gattaca. After working there for a few weeks, he figures it is time to try and get in. However, exercising is not helping him, so he decides to borrow a ladder from a genius named Jerome Eugene Morrow in order to impersonate the latter so he can be accepted into Gattaca.

Morrow decides to let Freeman borrow his ladder and let him stay at his apartment, but also if the latter pays rent. After months of multiple changes, Freeman is finally ready and applies for Gattaca; He is accepted.

In Gattaca

Freeman becomes the company's top celestial navigator while working for Gattaca and is chosen to go on the manned spaceflight to Saturn's moon, Titan. A week before the spaceflight launch, one of the managing directors (of the mission) is bludgeoned to death in his office. As Freeman was in there once, someone finds an eyelash. When they scan it, they find Vincent's old "Invalid" profile and image. The police are now on the case, thinking that Vincent murdered the managing director, meaning that the latter has to try and evade the police's attempts.

While working for Gattaca, Freeman meets another employee named Irene Cassini. She is resigned to her less favorable treatment in Gattaca due to her high probability of heart failure; her initial attraction to Vincent is largely due to his perceived "second to none" superiority, causing her to be slightly jealous.

Cover Blown

After one close call, Irene finally figures out the real identity of Vincent, and that he is actually the "Invalid" that the scan had accused of killing the managing director in Jerome's Apartment. She is aghast and immediately leaves, only to be stopped by Vincent. He convinces her that he is still the same man as he was when impersonating Jerome; she believes this, and their relationship is saved. Also Juddy should shut up because he smells like a piece of shit

A Twist of Fates

After multiple close calls, one of the police's top investigators manages to catch Vincent while they are in the celestial navigation room; Vincent goes there after the previous night, when he heard the investigator call out his name. At first, Vincent does not recognize the investigator, but as he starts talking, he realizes that the latter is Anton. Anton insists that Vincent step out of the "predicament" he started, but the latter says that it is all he ever wanted in life, but Anton refuses to let Vincent keep on going. Vincent decides to challenge his younger brother to one last game of Chicken; Anton agrees. They swim out once more until Anton says they are too far out and Vincent asks if he is scared. Hesitant, Anton swims farther until he cannot go further; he then asks how Vincent managed to get ahead all these years to which Vincent responds,"You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back." Unable to continue, Anton slowly sinks down into the water, on the verge of drowning, where his older brother saves him yet again.

The Journey to Titan

Just hours before his liftoff, Jerome bids Vincent a final farewell, also providing him with two lifetime supplies of urine and blood. He also gives him a note, telling him not to open it until he gets upstairs.

Right before going off on the trip, he must take one more urine test. As he thought there would be no more tests, Vincent did not bring a pack of Jerome's urine. However, the doctor taking the test, Doctor Lamar, has been aware of Vincent's impersonation for some time, and also says that he has a son who's "not all that they promised" and that looks up to the latter, despite having heart problems. Lamar ignores the scan, letting Vincent go to Titan. 

As the rocket lifts off, Jerome climbs into the house's Incinerator, put on his silver swim medal, and turns on the incinerator immolating himself. Vincent opens the letter from Jerome, which turns out to only be a sample of hair. Also, Vincent suddenly has a rush of sadness of leaving Earth, despite being treated as a second. He further muses that "they say every atom in our bodies was once a part of a star," and wonders, "Maybe I'm not leaving, maybe I'm going home."