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72 reviews in total

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48 out of 56 people found the following review useful:
One of the finest and most powerful films of the Nineties, 25 September 2004

Author: James Hitchcock from Tunbridge Wells, England

In the late 1970s two young girls named Virginia and Grace Kennedy caused great interest in the academic disciplines of psychology and linguistics. The girls, identical twin sisters, had developed a private language quite incomprehensible to outsiders. Even after they had learnt English, they continued to communicate with each other in their secret language, which was partly a mixture of distorted English and the German that was their grandmother's native tongue, but which also contained some inexplicable vocabulary items.

This was an example of an uncommon, but not unprecedented, phenomenon known as 'idioglossia' or 'cryptophasia'. 'Nell' tells the story of an even more extreme example of the same phenomenon. An eccentric and reclusive old woman named Violet Kellty is found dead in her home, a wooden cabin without electricity or running water in a remote mountain are of North Carolina. The local doctor, Jerry Lovell, visits the property to certify the death and discovers that, unknown to the community, Violet had a daughter, Nell, living with her. Nell is unable to speak English and can only speak an unknown language. Although in her late twenties, she has never been outside her home and the forests which surround it, and knows nothing of the outside world.

A psychiatrist, Paula Olsen, sent to investigate the case, decides that Nell is mentally retarded, but Lovell, who is becoming increasingly fascinated by this strange young woman, contests this diagnosis. The judge responsible for deciding Nell's future, decides that she should be kept under observation for three months so that more information can be obtained. Jerry and Paula move into the woods to observe, and gradually start to find out more about Nell's past. They learn that she had a twin sister, May, who died as a child, and that her seemingly-strange speech is actually a mixture of distorted English learnt from her mother (who had a speech defect as the result of a series of strokes) and words remembered from a private language spoken with her twin. The question they have to resolve is whether Nell should be committed to a mental institution or allowed to continue her life in the woods. In order to do so, they find that they need to learn how to communicate with her.

The most outstanding feature of the film is Jodie Foster's performance in the title role- a remarkable one even by the standards of this talented actress. Throughout the film Foster speaks only in Nell's unearthly-sounding private language, but is able to use this, together with gestures and facial expressions, to convey a full range of emotions. The nearest parallel is probably Marlee Matlin's equally remarkable performance in 'Children of a Lesser God', another film about difficulties in communication. What emerges most powerfully here is the traumatic nature of Nell's position- hitherto happy in her limited world, she is suddenly confronted with a range of people and situations she never knew existed. Foster certainly deserved her Oscar nomination; whether she deserved to win I cannot say, as I have never seen 'Blue Sky', the film for which Jessica Lange won the award.

At the heart of the film is a triangular relationship between Nell, Jerry and Paula. Paula initially leans towards the view that Nell belongs in an institution, and clashes with Jerry who takes the opposite view, but as the film progresses she comes to share his opinion and his concern for Nell. The two first become friends and then fall in love, brought together by Nell, who forms the third side of the triangle. One can say that there are also love-relationships between Nell and Jerry and Nell and Paula, but because these relationships are platonic rather than sexual in nature they serve to bring Jerry and Paula together rather than divide them. This means that Jerry and Paula play key roles in the film; fortunately, Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson both play their parts very well, although in a more understated manner than Foster.

Many of the criticisms which have been made of the film are, I believe, due to misconceptions. The film critic of The Guardian, for example, criticised it for being overly politically correct in its treatment of the 'mentally challenged'. Apart from the fact that that is an odd criticism to find in a newspaper which is one of the strongest bastions of political correctness in Britain, it is made quite clear in the film that Nell is neither mentally ill nor mentally handicapped. She merely speaks a different language (both literally and metaphorically) from the rest of the world. Some have taken exception to the brief scenes of nudity, but the purpose of these is not eroticism, but rather to demonstrate Nell's innocence.

Another criticism which I have seen made of this film, both on this board and elsewhere, is that it is pushing a trite or simplistic 'message', normally along the lines of 'nature is better than civilization' or 'ignorance is bliss'. In my opinion, this criticism is misconceived; 'Nell' is not a didactic film of that sort. Certainly, Nell herself has many admirable characteristics- gentleness, the ability to love and to be loved, a capacity for joy and a love of nature- but nowhere in the film is there any argument that one has to be ignorant or a feral child of nature in order to share these characteristics. If there are villains in the film they are not abstractions such as 'civilisation' or 'modern society', but rather those individuals who want to exploit Nell for their own ends- the journalist hungry for a scoop, the rowdy town youths who want to use her either for mockery or for sexual pleasure, and the academic Alexander Paley. Paley is keen to have Nell committed; he tries to justify this as objective concern for her welfare, but his motives are really self-seeking. He sees Nell as a first-class subject for research which will bring him kudos in the world of academia.

What gives the film its power is not any obvious 'message' but its deeply poetic and spiritual tone, deriving both from the acting of the three central characters and the exquisite photography of the North Carolina landscapes. It is a film from which different viewers will draw different conclusions- some may see it, for example, as a religious allegory about the redeeming power of love, while others may view it in a more literal way. It may be too quiet and poetic for some tastes, but in my view this is an unjustly neglected work, one of the finest and most powerful films of the nineties. 10/10

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29 out of 35 people found the following review useful:
Clearly Foster put more effort into this movie than the writers., 14 April 2001
Author: roarshock from Oregon USA

I haven't seen or read the play 'Idioglossia' on which this movie was based, but its title indicates where the emphasis was probably placed... on the attempt to communicate and understand this woman who was raised under extraordinary conditions. Movies don't usually thrive when done in the same tight, focused manner of a stage play, so it's customary to expand adaptations with additional locations, events, and subplots. Unfortunately for 'Nell' these are utterly conventional, filled with stereotypes and a sampling of the usual cliches. This takes time and attention away from the fascinating core story and the superb performance by Jodie Foster.

The story begins with the discovery that a reclusive old woman has died and has left a grown daughter alone in their remote cabin. Originally she is thought to be a "wild child" since she doesn't understand English and only utters what sounds like gibberish. Besides that, her behaviour is very peculiar and everyone's first impression is that she is also somewhat retarded, if not mentally ill.

But the movie and Foster display an understanding of their subject matter almost unique in a Hollywood movie. A true "wild child" (that is, a child who grows up isolated from human contact without learning a language) pretty much never can learn to speak normally or function independently in society. But this isn't the case for Nell. She lived with her loving mother all her life and did indeed learn to speak as any child would. It's just that the language we hear her speak is unique to herself (the definition of 'idioglossia') which was caused by a couple of different circumstances.

Her mother had suffered a stroke (if I recall correctly) which drastically affected her own ability to speak clearly, and this was the model for Nell's own speech, never having heard any other. Nell also had a twin sister who died when they were children. Typically twins develop their own language ("twin speech") to talk to each other when they are very young. Also typically they tend to outgrow and forget this language as they grow older. The movie postulates that Nell and her sister never discarded their language, not implausible considering their circumstances, and that Nell retained into adulthood much of that language even after the death of her sister.

The final elements of Nell's seemingly odd behaviour is simply a matter of a clash of cultures. Nell and her family were essentially a people unto themselves, living in isolation and out of contact with the rest of society. Some of their customs and beliefs were generated from the traumas suffered by the mother, others spontaneously arose from simply living the life they were leading. These seem peculiar to outsiders from our own, very different, culture; though it's just ordinary life to Nell. Even more peculiar is the outside world to Nell. The shock and recoil that she often undergoes comes from being suddenly confronted by inexplicable, unimagined, and overwhelming events totally beyond a lifetime's experience and coming directly on the heels of the death of her mother.

When the movie centers on these elements it is entirely engrossing. Foster is fully convincing in her role, and clearly understands the complex nature and history of Nell. Despite everyone's first impressions, Nell is never anything but an intelligent adult woman confronting a strange and often hostile world, and attempting to adapt to it as best she can. Her interactions with Neeson's and Richardson's characters are often complex and traumatic enough to keep the film moving in the absence of the other, extraneous, elements.

Had the movie concentrated more intently on this interaction and devoted more time to it, which is really the whole point of the film, or had it done a better and more original job of expanding it's vision during it's adaptation to film (those parts involving the sheriff's wife showed unexploited potential), 'Nell' could have been a great film. Certainly the superb cinematography shows one of the great advantages of film over the stage. But there was too much time spent on weak scenes for the movie to ever fully blossom.

So overall, despite its flaws, 'Nell' is a good film with many fascinating elements and an excellent performance by Jodie Foster. And that makes it well worth watching.

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16 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Like many great films of the mid-90s, this one has been underrated and forgotten., 25 January 2006

Author: S.C. Skafte from Nova Scotia, Canada

One thing that I particularly enjoyed about "Nell" was the way that Michael Apted approached the material. Like his biographical films ("Coal Miner's Daughter", "Gorillas in the Mist", etc.) he films his characters of Nell and Dr. Lovell like real people, even with their fictional roots. Apted's style is very character-centric, which suits this film extremely well. Though this film is very much about Nell, Jodie Foster isn't exactly the star, at least not in the traditional sense. She buries herself into the role to an extent that she has never done before. Liam Neeson plays a rather atypical role, though he is still the dashing hero. Natasha Richardson's role is a bit thankless, but she pulls it off wonderfully.

"Nell" is an understated film, but I hope you will find it as beautiful and moving as I have.

7.5 out of 10

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16 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
A Unique, But Disturbing Film, 7 April 2007

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

remember this film, and subsequent VHS tape, getting a fair share of publicity when it was released. The story certainly was different and so interesting to me (on the first viewing) that Jodie Foster's constant incoherent phrases didn't bother me. They aggravated a lot of other viewers, however. However, after three looks at this film,

I had had enough, too, not because of Foster but because this is a disturbing film. It's not a lot of fun to watch. The fact I watched it three times tells you it's pretty darned good.

Liam Neeson played a no-nonsense good guy. Natasha Richardson also adds to this unique story.

I would definitely recommend this film to first-time viewers but be wary it's different and not always pleasant to see and hear. I don't want to say more in fear of spoiling the story, but kudos to Foster for an outstanding effort.

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17 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Brilliant!, 25 April 2004

Author: bsmith-28 from Washington State

I just watched this movie for the second time. One word: wow!

This is one of the rare gems that you can tell when actors and actresses put everything into their performances, and actually go beyond the role. How can I tell? At the very end of the movie, the emotion of the moment that Jodie's character feels towards the scene with the little girl reminding her of her lost sister is enough to make Jodie herself cry and wipe away a tear. Incredible. It's very rare to see that level of immersion into a role where the actors involved feel real emotion about a scene. I'm willing to bet that moment of grace at the very end of the movie wasn't scripted nor acted on Jodie's part. You simply cannot get more heartfelt emotion into a scene than what was shown at the end of Nell. Brilliant and well-acted movie by all. A definite 10.

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16 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
What a charming movie, 28 June 2002

Author: stamper from The Netherlands

This film really surprised me, because it was really good. But it mostly surprised me, because I read here that this would be a drama and I must say I disagree. Drama stands for sadness and melancholy, whereas this film stood for humanism. I mean Nell is basically as happy as can be and who are we (the people in the film) to tell her that her way of life is not good? I know this might sound strange, but I see this film as a metaphor for human behavior. We reject what is not like us (race, religion, gender, sexual preference, skin color and so on) and think those people ought to be like us, because they are not ‘normal'. Well you tell me who is more normal: Nell or the people who want to put her away; Nell or the journalists; Nell or the boys in the bar? I will tell you: Nell, Nell and Nell. I can recommend this film to everyone and I hereby want to thank all people involved and especially Jodie Foster for her great performance.

7,5 out of 10

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14 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Tarzan meets Little Orphan Annie (without the apes or songs), 1 August 2003
Author: SteveThomp from Victoria, Australia

Nell is a movie with a simple narrative, but one that also explores far more complex ideas and themes - psychological development, expression, living with a perceived handicap, the trauma of entering modern society late, the power of imagination and grief. It's far too slow-moving and languid for mainstream audiences, so its low rating on IMDB does not surprise me. The cinematography is lush and ethereal, while the acting is skilled and subtle, particularly Jodie Foster (who seems to have the most keen understanding of how to choose the right role).

The eponymous character is a backwoods-raised orphan whose mother had been raped and fled into the forest to live as a hermit. She raised Nell well enough with one difficulty - it seems Mom had a severe speech impediment, probably stroke-induced, so Nell's own language development has been shaped by the warped and unrecognisable English learned from her mother. When Nell is discovered, cavorting through the woods and living a primeval existence like some female Tarzan, a rush of both researchers and media hacks descend on her. Fortunately Neeson and Richardson's characters are at the front of the queue, and take a protective approach to Nell's adaptation to mainstream society.

Naturally, Nell has many difficulties to overcome. She has a dread fear of men, instilled into her by her mother, as well as absent social graces, modesty and morality. Her speech is interpreted as idiocy or retardation, before Neeson realises the causes and eventually deciphers Nell's crook-mouthed rambling (the interactions between the three lead characters are the most interesting parts of the film). And, of course there are unscrupulous individuals ready to exploit Nell's naivety: a psychologist eager to have her committed, a journalist who wants her story, and a host of leery men who just want her to disrobe.

Nell is a warm and stimulating movie, though not a particularly exciting one. It offers up a great character, explores her for a while, before opting for a neatly-tied (perhaps *too* neatly) ending and a fairly shallow examination overall. Foster's acting carries the film although the screenplay could, in all honesty, have been a lot better. Still, there are much worse films around.

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12 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
Very Interesting-A sleeper that I really liked., 27 May 2001

Author: Ralph DeMattia (Mr Skoooooter) from Gaithersburg, Maryland

Having never seen this film before, I "stumbled" on to it this morning about 10 minutes after it started on A&E and was so mesmerized that I watched the whole movie, and really liked it! It is well acted (Jodie Foster is INCREDIBLE), as is Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson, and it's just an all around GOOD movie. I recommend it very highly, and stopped short of giving it a "10" because it didn't have one of those neat what-happened-to-her title-over endings, though the ending IS a good one.

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16 out of 26 people found the following review useful:
Breath Taking, 30 August 2002

Author: JessTheCat from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England

Nell is one of the most captivating, moving and thought provoking films I have ever seen in my life. The acting all round is superb, including a truly fine performance by Jodie Foster. This film is nothing short of spectacular, boasting a strong script, beautiful scenery and excellent direction. Overall, Nell is nothing short of breath taking. I strongly advise to see it. You won't be disappointed.

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9 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
There's a definition to great art., 18 December 2005

Author: davebennings from South Korea

I can't think of another movie better than this one that I have seen anyway so I nominate it for a ten. The thing about great art is it engages the consciousness of the perceiver creatively with the same amount of energy the perceiver invests. That might sound like a lot of pseudo-babble so let me try again. What you see is what you get with great art--and this relationship happens unpretentiously. In an ideal creation there is nothing presumptuous about the art. No doubt there are moments of stereotypes, but these could be just as easily blamed on bad acting from the supporting cast, or simple lapses in composition. I don't think anyone could seriously say stereotypes are a fundamental weakness of this flick, mainly because the use of stereotypes is serving a larger purpose to the story--at least as I see it. This is probably one of the most complex, multi-layered movies I have ever seen. We witness all the archetypes of good storytelling utilized in ever-meshing ways. How sexual violence is a fetish, and how an innocent mind sees it as simple playing. And in every scene we are given, the meaning of Foster's character and what she represents grows. The ending under these terms is truly remarkable and frankly a surprise if witnessed representationally. I mean these are heavy comments on reality folks. I didn't see the play the screenplay was based on, but over and over again I kept thinking "Who the hell wrote this thing? Who directed this?" It is masterful, and if you can't see it that way, I don't know, go read some books on critical theory, on the development of human consciousness, on Aristotle's's poetics, etc. It is counterpoint perfection--extremely well crafted, and a powerful commentary on not only our culture and "civilization," but what it means to be human in this contemporary moment. Oh yeah, Jodi Foster is outstanding. We could make a case that she and her character are the center of this movie, except that it is the world unfolding around her that makes this such great drama. I think I have to go back to her Disney-era movies to think of a truly awful movie she has made. But that shouldn't count either. I never thought those movies were all that bad, but then I simply watched them as a kid.

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