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We've already named James Marsh's "Project Nim" one of the best films of 2011. Now that it's available on DVD, "Nim" has a shot at finding the audience it deserves.
Judging by its underwhelming box office take, you probably haven't seen this stunning documentary chronicling the saga of one Nim Chimpsky—the center of a '70s science project designed to determine if chimps could learn to communicate with humans. The method: raising a newborn chimpanzee as if he was a human child. Nim is the film's focus, but his story is told through interviews with a variety of eccentric figures in Nim's life who prove people are unique animals all their own.
A buzzworthy title since its debut at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, "Nim" earned universal critical acclaim but was surprisingly shut out of Oscar's Best Documentary Feature category (even though Marsh's previous doc, "Man on Wire," won the award in 2009). No matter. The twist-filled emotionally powerful story speaks for itself, and Marsh's absorbing, engaging style makes the film as riveting as any work of fiction.
As Marsh says in the DVD's "making of" featurette, "Documentary is a unique opportunity to tell stories that if they were presented in any other way, they would be utterly preposterous and unbelievable." The making of illuminates details about both the remarkable true story (inspired by Elizabeth Hess' non-fiction book "Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human") and Marsh's process in bringing it to the screen (including research, interviews and filming some staged reenactments).
There's also a look at Nim's success on the festival circuit—a time given even more attention in a separate featurette, "Bob's Journey," which spotlights one of the film's most likable interview subjects: Bob Ingersoll. A primatologist who formed a special bond with Nim and now advocates for humane treatment of chimpanzees worldwide, Ingersoll's touching profile piece showcases a man genuinely thrilled at the attention the film receives.
DVD special features also include an insightful commentary from Marsh—an eloquent speaker whose dedication and belief in the film shines through—and the theatrical trailer.
For two sides of the same coin, make "Project Nim" a double feature with the thematically similar summer blockbuster "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." You won't regret it.
Follow Metromix's Geoff Berkshire on Twitter: @geoffberkshire
Take a look at our other favorite films from Sundance 2011 and our picks for Best Movies of 2011
