A mother chimp cradles her baby in her arms. The child, named by caretakers as Nim, has been selected for an experiment to see if a chimp could learn sign language and, thus, learn to talk to humans. This is not the first time this mother has lost a child to science, so she cradles the baby in such a way that, when she’s inevitably knocked out, she will fall over on the child to protect it, shielded by her massive weight. The scientists know of this window of opportunity, quickly shooting the mother with a tranquilizer and ripping the screaming baby out of her arms.
Thus begins Project Nim, the new documentary from director James Marsh (of the Academy Award-winning Man On Wire), about an experiment in the 1970s to see if a chimpanzee could learn sign language in order to communicate with humans. The project is started by Prof. Herbert Terrace, a Columbia University behavioral psychologist, a man whose scientific curiosity is equaled only by his passion for credit. He places the chimp in the care of a former student (and lover), Stephanie LaFarge, who raises Nim amongst seven other children in her Upper West Side apartment in New York City. She was chosen for her care and motherly instincts, allowing for the chimp to interact with real humans on a daily basis. She was not chosen to be a teacher, clearly, as she does not know a lick of sign language.
Enter Laura-Ann Petitto, a Columbia student, brought in to teach Nim and keep the experiment in focus. Soon it becomes apparent that Nim’s socilization is secondary to his use of sign language, the strict directive of the experiment, and Nim is ripped from yet another mother’s arms. Nim is whisked off to a house just outside of New York City to live in a more stable environment. Every day he is transported into Columbia for sign language lessons with a rotating crew of eager young students. But when the project is over, what is to be done with Nim? Is he a person or a scientific tool to be discarded?
It is this schism in the question, “what makes us human?” that informs both project and film. There could absolutely be a sterile, scientific film about the project’s findings, it’s triumphs, and it’s failures, but that would miss the point. Project Nim is a powerful, emotional film because of all the connections that science simply cannot account for. The story is told through current interviews with all of the important figures involved in Nim’s life combined with archival photos and videos of the progress. This allows us to make an emotional connection with the chimp through their remembrances, giving us an idea of just how much that animal meant to them. It’s in stark contrast to the cold stoicism that Terrace holds throughout his interviews, treating the chimp like a beaker, and essentially becoming the least human part of this film ( yes, I include the cameras).
Nim’s story is interesting, but in the hands of a gifted storyteller like Marsh, it becomes fascinating. He and his creative team (most prominently editor Jinx Godfrey) have a real hold on this story and, like with Man On Wire, it moves. Everything presented is essential: no long, unneeded diversions, unnecessary expository, or tacked-on sentimentality. A special mention must be made for Dickon Hinchliffe‘s fantastic score which supports the emotion on the screen rather than goading us into feeling. However, the footage shot on RED cameras-for-16mm to “recreate” moments stuck out like a sore thumb (one particular shot of a dog barking as a phone rings incessantly is a real head scratcher). They were there to bolster the story at hand but it only brought me out of the narrative to point and notice the lack of authenticity.
The interviews with the people who were involved with Nim reminded me of my mom discussing her talks with my dog, Whitney. My mom would swear up and down that she and Whitney would have conversations; Mom making comments and asking questions that would get a response from my dog. I thought it was preposterous. Scientists have said that dogs can’t emote. We just project our own responses from their disconnected physical reactions.
But what do scientists know?
Project Nim hits limited theaters on July 8th, 2011.