Human Nature (2001)

A woman is in love with a man in love with another woman, and all three have designs on a young man raised as an ape.

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writer:

Charlie Kaufman

Stars:

Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Tim Robbins

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patricia Arquette	...	Lila Jute
Rhys Ifans	...	Puff
Tim Robbins	...	Dr. Nathan Bronfman
Ken Magee	...	Police Detective
Sy Richardson	...	Police Detective
David Warshofsky	...	Police Detective
Hilary Duff	...	Young Lila Jute
Stanley DeSantis	...	Doctor (as Stanley Desantis)
Peter Dinklage	...	Frank
Toby Huss	...	Puff's Father
Bobby Harwell	...	Congressman
Daryl Anderson	...	Congressman
Bobby Pyle	...	Young Puff
Chase MacKenzie Bebak	...	Young Nathan (as Chase Bebak)
Mary Kay Place	...	Nathan's Mother

Storyline

A philosophical burlesque, Human Nature follows the ups and downs of an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist, and the man they discover, born and raised in the wild. As scientist Nathan trains the wild man, Puff, in the ways of the world - starting with table manners - Nathan's lover Lila fights to preserve the man's simian past, which represents a freedom enviable to most. In the power struggle that ensues, an unusual love triangle emerges exposing the perversities of the human heart and the idiosyncrasies of the civilized mind. Human Nature is a comical examination of the trappings of desire in a world where both nature and culture are idealized.

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Plot Keywords:

nature | scientist | table manners | manners | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | 

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Taglines:

In the Interest of Civilization... Conform.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Fine Line Features [us] Official site

Country:

France USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 September 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Human Nature - Die Krone der Schöpfung

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$297,340 (USA) (12 April 2002)

Gross:

$695,876 (USA) (3 May 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine Line Features, StudioCanal, Good Machine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the scenes in the forest are allusions to or recreations of scenes in the Björk music video "Human Behavior", also directed by Michel Gondry.

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Goofs

When Dr. Bronfman (Tim Robbins) enters the woods with the pistol (a German Luger) there is the sound of the hammer of a revolver being cocked - but a Luger does not make a sound like that.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lila Jute: I'm *not* sorry.
Puff: I *am* sorry.
Nathan Bronfman: I don't even know what sorry means anymore.

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Connections

References The Elephant Man (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Me and Bobby McGee"
(1970)
Music by Fred Foster and Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics by Kris Kristofferson
Performed by Tim Robbins
Used by permission of Combine Music Corp.

User Reviews

Charlie Kaufman does it again!

As he managed to do in Being John Malkovich, brilliant writer Kaufman succeeds in creating a completely believable alternative reality, which he employs as a metaphor that pokes seemingly light (and therefore lethally subversive) fun at 'society' - what it means to be civilized, what it means to be free, how people judge each other based on ridiculously superficial differences of appearance, etc, etc. It works, because Kaufman IS so brilliant, and I left the theatre with the same feeling I had gotten from Being John Malkovich - inspired and gratified that someone like this not only exists in the world but actually gets to put his completely unique and uncompromising visions on the screen.