Nell (1994)

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

The film is especially upsetting because it has a mature theme or adult tone, and it has been rated 12 as a parental guidance and I was watching it with my 12 years old daughter and it is not suitable for 12 or 12A rate but NETFLIX failure in this point. I don't like the movie at all, very annoying and boring to watch it. Loads of naked scenes making no sense. Liam Neeson performance is mediocre and the scene where he come naked to the lake to make a possible contact with Nell, I found complete nonsense. I expect more from the movie and the only good performance was from Jodie Foster, but the language they choose for her to perform is really annoying and difficult to watch until the end, but I did just to write this review. I am not recommend.

The 1994 film, "Nell", is an acting triumph for Jodie Foster. The screenplay is by William Nicholson and it was adapted from the remarkable play by Mark Hadley. Foster grows up as a Yeti in a remote forest having been raised by her mother who suffered from a speech disorder or aphasia after running to the woods escaping the rapist who had attacked her. "Nell" then grows to adulthood with little to say in favor of men, and little speech to begin with anyway. Modern society attempts to "treat" her, but Liam Neesam is able to convince the doctors to allow her some space for growing room and a period of adjustment in order to make a more gradual adjustment to society. This film is compelling from the moment it begins and holds ones attention to the very end. It is deserving of much praise for handling a delicate subject with loving care and empathy that permeates the film. The cinematography is overwhelming and makes one jealous of Nell's environment. It is a very good rent now on DVD and well worth the time involved. Neesam's portrayal of a family physician turned naturalist is equally as compelling as is that of Foster making for a very satisfying picture.

The subject matter is fascinating. Nell (Jodie Foster) is a young woman raised by her mother in a setting completely cut off from civilization. She knows nothing of the outside world and has had little if any interaction with other people throughout her life, to the point at which she's developed her own language. Discovered by a grocery store delivery boy when her mother died, she comes under the care and tutelage of Drs. Lovell and Olson (Liam Neesom and Natasha Richardson) who have to decide whether or not she should be taken from her isolated environment and introduced to the "real" world.The dilemma is very powerful. What right does anyone else have to decide for Nell how her life should be lived, especially when she's clearly capable of living on her own in the environment to which she's accustomed? Why should she be subject to court orders about her fate or to living in psychiatric hospitals when there's obviously nothing really wrong with her except that she's living a life that no one in the outside world can understand? Those are tough questions. The movie does a great job of developing the relationship between Nell and Lovell (and then also Olson) in a sensitive way, as both begin to care for Nell and want to be protective of her and her rights to choose. Jodie Foster was - I thought - surprisingly good in this role. She usually plays a stronger type, and - at least as the movie opens - Nell was a very vulnerable figure. I didn't know if Foster would work in such a role, but she pulled it off perfectly.I would criticize this film only for the overly happy ending. Beginning with Nell appearing in court, this took on a too "syrupy" fell in my opinion; everything in the end was far too happy to be believable - in my opinion anyway. But aside from that I thought this was a very well done movie and a very interesting story. (7/10)

When I put this movie on I watched it, waiting for it to develop. I rented it on a Jodie Foster search, and I did not see any reviews beforehand. I Googled Nell while the DVD was still on and what I found is that people were really moved by the film, so I paid more close attention.I agree with the reviewers who say that Nell is a story about humanity. I also agree that this is NOT a film about a society that carries evils that will corrupt her, just people who have "ulterior motives". For Liam Neeson's character, his motives are on behalf of human compassion and a desire to learn Nell's ways.This movie is held together by the interests of Dr. Lovell to keep Nell in her own environment, and Paula who also wants to interpret Nell's behavior but from a more scientific perspective. There's tension as to whether Nell will have to be committed, as she is later, but the hospital is not the proper setting for Nell. One good thing that came out of her brief stay in the NC city is that she is able to let go of her twin sister's ghost, Mae. By ghost I mean a relationship of replayed memories and emotional strongholds.One thread that I found interesting was the ailment of the sheriff's wife. She is not mentally retarded, but she is mentally ill. As a person who is diagnosed bipolar, I wonder about the similarities between the disconnect from society and the disconnect from civilization. There's another reality that can cause depression by certain triggers, or mania, and this can cycle back and forth rapidly. What was the director thinking in putting the wife there? Another way to show how people are receptive to body language from those who are perceived good?I will remember this movie. Jodie Foster is as convincing as Leonardo DiCaprio and Dustin Hoffman but her communication is more than a brief stint. There's never a forgotten moment with her, never a time where her communication couldn't be understood by those who loved her.