The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
Features  |  Reviews
50bands2011_1000x50_c

Review: Project Nim

Absurd and sad
By PETER KEOUGH  |  July 12, 2011
3.5 3.5 Stars



Once regarded as cuddly, chimpanzees seem downright demonic following the incident in Connecticut in which a pet ape destroyed somebody's face. Nim, the subject of this provocative documentary by James Marsh (Man on Wire), won't do much for the species' reputation, and it's even less generous toward Homo sapiens. Four decades ago Herb Terrace, a Columbia University linguist, took the infant Nim (full name: "Nim Chimpsky") and resettled him with the well-to-do family of Stephanie, his former student (and lover). The purpose: to teach Nim sign language and prove that chimps can use it to communicate. Inevitably, the experiment revealed more about the humans than the animal. As he grew older, Nim developed an Oedipal relationship with Stephanie. "It was the '70s," says the foster mom as she recalls how the ape explored her body. The story gets more absurd and sadder after that; and though Marsh's Errol Morris-like style can get glib, it never gets boring.

Related: Ring master, Review: The Garden, Review: Amarcord, More more >
  Topics: Reviews , Movie Reviews, movie, documentary,  More more >
| More
Add Comment
HTML Prohibited

 Friends' Activity   Popular   Most Viewed 
[ 07/20 ]   Cibo Matto + Tony Castles  @ Brighton Music Hall
[ 07/20 ]   Lar Lubovitch Dance Company  @ Jacob's Pillow, Ted Shawn Theatre
[ 07/20 ]   The Magic People + Thick Shakes + Naga Gaga  @ P.A.'s Lounge
ARTICLES BY PETER KEOUGH
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   REVIEW: THE TREE  |  July 19, 2011
    In a less drastic take on grief than her role in Lars von Trier's Antichrist, Charlotte Gainsbourg plays Dawn, a wife and mother of four children whose idyllic life on a farm in the Australian outback shatters when her husband drops dead.
  •   REVIEW: TABLOID  |  July 13, 2011
    After taking on former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara in The Fog of War (2003), and probing the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Standard Operating Procedure (2008), Errol Morris deserves to have fun.
  •   REVIEW: ZOOKEEPER  |  July 12, 2011
    Local viewers might be amused by director Frank Coraci's Boston geography in this slapdash comedy; for example, taking a right turn on Queensberry onto Storrow Drive and then over the Zakim Bridge en route to the airport. Makes as much sense as the plot, I suppose.
  •   REVIEW: PHASE 7 [FASE 7]  |  July 12, 2011
    Phase 7 distinguishes itself by its suffocating setting, its low-affect tone, and its cast of flaky characters.
  •   REVIEW: PROJECT NIM  |  July 12, 2011
    Once regarded as cuddly, chimpanzees seem downright demonic following the incident in Connecticut in which a pet ape destroyed somebody's face.

 See all articles by: PETER KEOUGH

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2011 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group