Project Nim (2011)

98% of critics liked it
(128 reviews)
84% of users liked it
(8,247 ratings)

From the team behind Man on Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Following Nim's extraordinary journey through human… More From the team behind Man on Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Following Nim's extraordinary journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way, the film is an unflinching and unsentimental biography of an animal we tried to make human. What we learn about his true nature - and indeed our own - is comic, revealing and profoundly unsettling. -- (C) Roadside Attractions

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: James Marsh
Genres: Documentary, Art House & International

In Theaters: Jul 8, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Feb 7, 2012
Studio: Roadside Attractions

Critic Reviews

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
This haunting life story is an exquisite example of non-fiction filmmaking as full-bodied, emotionally complex drama.
Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail
For the second film in a row, Marsh has created a movie we can't keep our eyes off.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Marsh ... masterfully spins a harrowing tale of human arrogance that eventually gives way to cruelty bordering on the pathological.
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
Nim is as unforgettable as the treatment of him is unspeakable.
Christy Lemire, Associated Press
Like the experiment itself, "Project Nim" morphs from something inspiring and often humorous to a pointed and disturbing portrait of arrogance run amok. Greed and glory end up overriding decency and altruism, and it's heartbreaking to watch.
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle
After watching "Project Nim," a distressing portrait of a misguided 1970s language experiment, you'll be glad you're not a chimp in a cage. But you might want to revoke your membership in the human race.
Phil Hall, EDGE Boston
A tragic chronicle of animal abuse.
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
Like an orphan out of Dickens, Nim is a sorrowful figure buffeted by the winds of the greedy, selfish and more powerful...
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
One of the 10 best films of 2011.
Shaun Munro, What Culture
This is one of those great documentaries which could be transposed almost without change into a heartbreaking Hollywood tearjerker.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
There is no question Nim was exploited for human gain, yet there are important aspects which Marsh leaves unexplored.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Nim's story is so fascinating and telling... that it would probably be impossible for even the very worst of filmmakers to screw it up, and Marsh is not the worst of filmmakers.
James Croot, Flicks.co.nz
Writer-director James Marsh mines yet another long-forgotten slice of '70s madness.
Mark R. Leeper, Mark Leeper's Reviews
It is the sad story of an animal whose fate is left in the hands of people--some well-meaning, some not so much--who are error-prone, unprepared for dealing with a chimpanzee, and often uncaring.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
In a way, Nim's life journey mirrors our own, particularly if we end up alone, no longer having much control over what happens to us.
Jim Schembri, The Age (Australia)
Tales of the attacks Nim inflicted on his many carers are horrific, but there is a pervasive sense there was nothing else they could have expected.
Leah Rozen, The Wrap
Project Nim nimbly serves up a profoundly sad tale that raises as many thought-provoking questions as it answers.
Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews
This tale of a hard done by chip places a light on when unethical scientific research and the post 1960s counterculture combine to create an experiment done wrong in Project Nim.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...succeeds as theater, as entertainment, but it doesn't really attempt what Terrace tried, in his admittedly morally clumsy way. What is the light in those feral eyes and what does it mean? Can we ever hope to know?
Jake Wilson, The Age (Australia)
The film teases us with a paradox: arguably Nim's keepers were wrong to try to endow their protege with human attributes, but can we empathise with his suffering without making the same mistake?

Read all 23 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lorenzo v

"I thought wouldn't it be exciting to communicate with a chimp and find out what it was thinking." Tells the story of a chimpanzee taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the… More
"I thought wouldn't it be exciting to communicate with a chimp and find out what it was thinking." Tells the story of a chimpanzee taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the 1970s. <center>REVIEW</center> The very idea of a chimp being brought up in human society is a fascinating one. But it quickly becomes apparent that this experiment is doomed to failure. There is a very good reason that you do not see people keep chimpanzees as pets - they can be extremely aggressive and powerful animals. On numerous occasions carers were bitten and maimed. One woman had a hole ripped in the side of her face while another had her head repeatedly beaten off the pavement by the ape. But the over-riding feeling engendered by the documentary is one of sadness. This poor creature is let down by those who took him from his mother and decided to rear him as a human. It seems to me quite outrageous that an animal taught to communicate with people and live in a house should ever have been sent to an animal experiment centre. The essential message of the film is that you should not try to transport a wild animal into human society and not expect repercussions. Some of the people in the film are just guilty of naivety, dangerous as it was. As much as a story about a remarkable primate, it's a story about human stupidity, human callousness and - thanks to Bob Ingersoll - human kindness. It's overall a remarkable documentary.
Matthew S

Four million dogs and cats out of the eight million that enter America's shelters are euthanized each year. If a number alone doesn't stir your emotions, Project Nim will. Among many other things, this movie is a close-up, extreme case of our apathetic, conditional love… More
Four million dogs and cats out of the eight million that enter America's shelters are euthanized each year. If a number alone doesn't stir your emotions, Project Nim will. Among many other things, this movie is a close-up, extreme case of our apathetic, conditional love towards other beings, be them human or otherwise. The movie doesn't accuse anybody, but with actual footage and narration by those involved in Nim's life, it implicitly argues that if we want to include animals in our home, we have a responsibility for their whole life, including understanding them on their terms and providing for their needs (and knowing this information BEFORE bringing them into our life). It reminds me of the conversation held at the beginning of the movie Artificial Intelligence: "It occurs to me ...it isn't just a question of creating a robot that can love. Isn't the real conundrum, can you get a human to love them back?"
Anthony L

James Marsh is fast becoming the documenterian to look out for, Project Nim is a fantastic follow up to his brilliant man on Wire. Project Nim is a very compelling story, not just because of its main attraction, a charismatic Chimp called Nim Chimpsky (Get it? Noam Chomsky/Nim… More
James Marsh is fast becoming the documenterian to look out for, Project Nim is a fantastic follow up to his brilliant man on Wire. Project Nim is a very compelling story, not just because of its main attraction, a charismatic Chimp called Nim Chimpsky (Get it? Noam Chomsky/Nim Chimpsky?) but also because of the humans he encounters, such as the new-age mother who lets him drink and is fascinated by his masturbatory habits, the egocentric lothario scientist (complete with seductive 70's moustache) who seems to be busier bedding the researchers and getting his picture taken rather than getting on with the project and this hippy best friend, who likes nothing better than, playing, picking wild berries and sharing a joint with the young simian. Welcome to the 70's. Yes, Nim smokes weed from time to time, this and other wacky storeys emerge from this often humorous but also heartbreaking tale. It's that old cliche of us humans learning more from animals than they could ever learn from us but brilliantly done with all key players giving their side of the story. Highly recommended.
Kalel J

Meticulous in tessellating fact and opinion but energetically free in atmosphere, PROJECT NIM is an expertly crafted documentary that is equal parts fun, sadness, and intrigue. It is a moving piece of study and rumination on evolution and the role that humans play in affecting the… More
Meticulous in tessellating fact and opinion but energetically free in atmosphere, PROJECT NIM is an expertly crafted documentary that is equal parts fun, sadness, and intrigue. It is a moving piece of study and rumination on evolution and the role that humans play in affecting the natural order around us.
c0up

'Project Nim'. A chimp raised as a human child and then senselessly moved and emotionally mistreated. For "science". Devastating.
Greg S

Documentary about Nim, a chimp who was raised as a human, taught sign language, and then abandoned and shuffled around to a series of temporary homes, unsuited to fit into either the human or ape worlds. Thought-provoking, and one of the most emotionally affecting movies of the year;… More
Documentary about Nim, a chimp who was raised as a human, taught sign language, and then abandoned and shuffled around to a series of temporary homes, unsuited to fit into either the human or ape worlds. Thought-provoking, and one of the most emotionally affecting movies of the year; fans of RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES owe it to themselves to check out this real-life version of events.
Liam G

The new documentary from James Marsh (director of 2008's Man on Wire) is poignant, funny, engaging and at times unsettling. Nim, a chimpanzee who was used as the test subject of an experiment carried out to show that an ape could communicate with humans through the use of sign… More
The new documentary from James Marsh (director of 2008's Man on Wire) is poignant, funny, engaging and at times unsettling. Nim, a chimpanzee who was used as the test subject of an experiment carried out to show that an ape could communicate with humans through the use of sign language, is an unforgettable screen presence. One of the film's great accomplishments is the way it showcases all the elements of Nim's personality. We see his nice and welcoming characteristics, but also his dark side. Marsh balances both a study of this chimp in such an wonderful way, that the fact he is able to balance this with the way the film explores how terrible the consequences of research gone wrong, is astounding. It doesn't shy away from showing us the harsh treatment of animals like chimpanzees and just how cruel human nature can prove. This is without a doubt, a contender for Best Documentary Feature at next year's Academy Awards and Marsh proves he isn't a one trick pony with an almost equally good follow up to Man on Wire.
Tracy K

People who are genuinely fond of animals often do them the supreme disservice of ascribing human qualities to them, which strips them of their essential animal-ness and what makes them what they are - not what we want them to be. "Project Nim" looks, in part, at the damage… More
People who are genuinely fond of animals often do them the supreme disservice of ascribing human qualities to them, which strips them of their essential animal-ness and what makes them what they are - not what we want them to be. "Project Nim" looks, in part, at the damage done to one animal who was treated as human until it was no longer convenient to do so. This film provides a very interesting look at the human arrogance involved in trying to shape the natural world to suit our needs, and the compassion - and guilt - involved in trying to set things right. It provides, I think, a microcosmic look at the way human beings have seriously messed up much of the planet and how hard it is to put the genie back into the bottle.
Mark H

James Marsh who directed Man on Wire, the 2008 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, turns his attention to a study in which a baby chimpanzee was raised and nurtured like a human child. Conducted by Herbert S. Terrace, professor of psychology at Columbia University in the early… More
James Marsh who directed Man on Wire, the 2008 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, turns his attention to a study in which a baby chimpanzee was raised and nurtured like a human child. Conducted by Herbert S. Terrace, professor of psychology at Columbia University in the early 1970s, the thesis was predicated on the belief that a monkey brought up in this way, could be taught to use American Sign Language as a means to communicate. This then would shed light on the way a vocabulary is acquired and used by individuals. The simian was named Nim Chimpsky, a pun on Noam Chomsky, the celebrated linguist who did not hold these beliefs. Chomsky believed only humans develop language in this fashion. Based on Elizabeth Hess's book, Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human, Project Nim is a well presented, but unsettling and thoroughly depressing story. The way the events unfold can be infuriating to behold. It's much deeper than I expected. This is not some sentimental reminiscence concerning a cute chimp. It takes a surprisingly atypical point of view. The documentary goes to great lengths not to misrepresent Nim as human and moreover doesn't push the humans as barbarians either. I admire that level of impartiality. Yet I wanted to be more emotionally invested in this story. Make no mistake, it made me profoundly sad. It was an admittedly affecting chronicle of an experiment gone wrong. But it's distressing when the monkey shows more humanity than the people.
Jeff T

And the spine-tingling you'll-never-see-what-happens-next surprise of the summer is a documentary about a chimp called PROJECT NIM. This new film from the director of the very popular MAN ON WIRE is a truly terrific film - full of footage and facts in the twisty life story of a… More
And the spine-tingling you'll-never-see-what-happens-next surprise of the summer is a documentary about a chimp called PROJECT NIM. This new film from the director of the very popular MAN ON WIRE is a truly terrific film - full of footage and facts in the twisty life story of a chimp who was raised among humans. It's also a strong movie about our responsibility to the animals we use in the world - and I mean use. This tale is not just a hugfest. It's a cautionary tale and will leave you shocked and humbled if you let it. Director James Marsh may rely a bit too much on theatrics and reenactments (it was my problem with MAN ON WIRE) but the final effect here is so strong it's hard to complain too much. Don't miss this.
Panta O

Very powerful movie with its heartbreaking story which will expose lots of abuse of Columbia University authorities... actually when I think about this experiment, to me the main reason for conducting it, and Nim becoming a research subject, was that the professor Herbert Terrace from… More
Very powerful movie with its heartbreaking story which will expose lots of abuse of Columbia University authorities... actually when I think about this experiment, to me the main reason for conducting it, and Nim becoming a research subject, was that the professor Herbert Terrace from Columbia University in New York can get laid! Through the documentary we witnessed that he finished in bed with almost every person involved... except Nim himself! Why would a linguist start an experiment in which his only real involvement is to give interviews and pose with the chimpanzee and the team, and keep it going without even having a real data keeping? Nim's tale resembles the shape of a serialized narrative - he is sadly passed from one caretaker to the next, each one mostly well-intentioned and loving but also misguided and inevitably self-serving (as the professor himself)! Sad chapters of Nim's life are following and those chapters one by one become more astounding, confounding, and compelling. Yes, Nim acquires some communication skills, but he is never able to speak for himself! And all others just fail to speak for him! Exploitation of Nim for human gain was appalling, yet there are important aspects which Marsh leaves unexplored, and that was the only negative remark about the movie. At the end, at least, we all agree that Nim was taken advantage of in the exercise of shabby science, and things like that should never happen!
Matthew Y

It's like the real life story of Caesar from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. No seriously. Nim is a chimp that is taken from it's mother and given to a family in a science experiment to explore if a chimp can learn and act like a human. He is taught sign language and… More
It's like the real life story of Caesar from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. No seriously. Nim is a chimp that is taken from it's mother and given to a family in a science experiment to explore if a chimp can learn and act like a human. He is taught sign language and initially loves his abnormal life, but as he gets older the differences between him and his human friends and family become more apparent and Nim acts out, becomes hostile and at times violent (though he's quick to sign he's sorry). Eventually Nim is put in a Chimp sanctuary, very reminiscent of Caesar, and like that film the place gives an alarmingly confined penitentiary feel. Things go from bad to worse when the Chimps are sold to a medical research lab. James Marsh is fast becoming the greatest director in documentary films working today. He has a fantastic talent of constructing old footage and current interviews to tell an almost scripted story. He does not tell a factual detailed tale, he tells the story that he wants to tell. A chimp acts one way and 10 different people could interpret it 10 different ways but Marsh biasly shows us the one that moves the drama where he wants it to go and where he wants to take his audience emotionally. It makes for glorious film-making and fantastic movie-watching that goes beyond the confines of the medium. Possibly the best documentary of the year.
Chihoe H

Spanning the life of Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee raised in an anthropological environment since birth for the scientific study of animal language acquisition, "Project Nim" is by no means just a science documentary. It covers the scope of the project, the behind-the-scene… More
Spanning the life of Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee raised in an anthropological environment since birth for the scientific study of animal language acquisition, "Project Nim" is by no means just a science documentary. It covers the scope of the project, the behind-the-scene human dynamics and entanglements, and most of all, takes a hard look at the sacrifice, abandonment and misfortune of Nim beyond his use in the project. Numerous recent and archival interviews, and video clips and photographs from the study, are strung together to tell the chronology in a coherent manner. It is effective as both a sympathetic tale of a neglected chimpanzee and the humans who turned their backs on him, and as a cautionary lesson on the ethical and moral dilemmas of animal test subjects.
John C

Outstanding documentary and one of this year's best movies. Nim Chimpsky is the star of the show and what a star he is...a curious young chimp ripped away from his mother at birth and taught to sign in a Columbia University science project in cross-species communication. Nim… More
Outstanding documentary and one of this year's best movies. Nim Chimpsky is the star of the show and what a star he is...a curious young chimp ripped away from his mother at birth and taught to sign in a Columbia University science project in cross-species communication. Nim grows up and grows strong and can no longer be trusted not to instinctively act out as any chimp would thus being shipped back to a "chimp prison" and then to a lab where chimps are injected with various cures for diseases. Finally, Nim ends up in animal preserve in Texas where he lives out his life until he dies at the age of 26. Humans do not come off well in this movie. The book that Project Nim is based on written by Elizabeth Hess is a recommended read. Watch this movie and you will be delighted at Nim's savvy "intelligence" and haunted by the travails of his life among us enlightened ones. As mentioned in the documentary chimps are very forgiving...put me in Nim's shoes and I wouldn't be so gracious. A must see movie! (8-20-11)
Andrew P

It's a great documentary and fascinating to watch but at times I found myself questioning a lot of the decisions made for the Chimp. Overall it's an emotional documentary about how this Chimp touched so many lives and ended up where he did. But there were warning signs, I… More
It's a great documentary and fascinating to watch but at times I found myself questioning a lot of the decisions made for the Chimp. Overall it's an emotional documentary about how this Chimp touched so many lives and ended up where he did. But there were warning signs, I guess that is the ultimate lesson.
Brad S

Wonderful, powerful film exploring the potential humanity of a remarkable animal as well as the ignorance and arrogance of man. 'Project Nim' is a thought-provoking story that can lift your spirits and fascinate the mind as much as it can break your heart. One of the most… More
Wonderful, powerful film exploring the potential humanity of a remarkable animal as well as the ignorance and arrogance of man. 'Project Nim' is a thought-provoking story that can lift your spirits and fascinate the mind as much as it can break your heart. One of the most unbelievable Oscar snubs, it is truly not to be missed. What was the Academy thinking?
Wu C

A heatbreaking doc about a chimpanzee that was used for science and the ignorance of some of the people who cared for him.