Although Jodie Foster is as always a joy to look at the film disappoints in more ways than one. Granted, it is not an easy theme to turn into a visual narrative, but pretty pictures of the Smoky Mountains and good acting do not alone suffice to make a good film. What is sorely missing is a decent narrative that is able to keep one interested. Moreover, I can live with the cliché of the fanatic scholar who just looks upon human beings as objects and yet another notch on his academic record, but the heavily romanticised picture of Nell towards the end emerging as a "pure" woman who is able to heal the wounded souls around her is a little too much to bear.
