Science limitations
"Nell"

The Savage meets the civilized. She expresses her fear and anguish on a nervous way, sometimes, even violently. None of them knows certainty how to respond in this moment in which they met by chance. Man and woman measure each other, inch by inch, as if they were examinating the possibilities they would have on a direct confrontation. What would you do if you were on the situation lived by the character of Liam Neeson (Dr. Jemore Lovell) when he meets a woman, approximately 30 years old, that does not know how to relate to another human being?

Why doesn't she know how? Simple, get isolated in the middle of a forest with your children, you become the only human reference close to them, and you are not worried about teaching them knowledge established among human beings (the only strong remain is the warmness of a family inhabit) and to finish this story, die without giving them the least notion that, out there, beyond the frontiers that limitate the woods in which you all live, there is an imense and complex fauna of humans...

By the way, after some time living isolated, the very few components of human culture passed from parents to children are forgotten or abandoned because of the lack of use, saving only what is elementary for survival. You are all set, it is on your hands the formula for the birth of Nell (Jodie Foster), the savage one mentioned in the beginning of this text which named the film by director Michael Apted (the same of "Gorillas in the mist").

The movie story proposes a reflection about the need of living among human beings to configure or characterize human condition on people. It is not enough to have a genetic inherit acumullated in our internal data banks, information passed from parents to children (this statement is not saying that genetic information is not important but that it is not sufficient so that we get prepared to face the world in which we will live). It also opens the possibility to question ethics on science research and discuss points or ideas such as cloning and other technical and scientific areas of biotechnology.

The Story

Nell (Jodie Foster, in another great work) lives in the forest, in the american state of North Carolina. She grew up there, isolated from the world, in touch only with her mother. Since her mother had health problems (a stroke), Nell started to communicate in the phonetical patterns of her only tutor, creating an unusual way of speaking on comparison to normal standarts. After the death of her only connection with humanity, she started living close to animal patterns.

Everything would be maintained if Nell was not found by doctor Jerome Lovell (character of Liam Neeson, a very competent actor who can be seen in the major role of "Schindler's list"). He gets concerned with Nell and try to give her some education and protection. The problem is that he is an innerland doctor and doesn't have an appropriatte knowledge to deal with such a complex socialization problem like Nell's.

Aware of this difficulty he tries to find help with specialists. The way they look at Nell's situation, treating her in a disrespectfull form and looking at her as if she was a typical case of "wild child" frightens Lovell and, specially, Nell. What to do? In which way should we go? What justice might decide about the future of Nell?

For Teachers

1- There are several stories told by specialists that show us how was the life of children found in forests or jungles, brought up by animals. Those stories confirm to many people what seems to be only fiction, the possibility of survival under totally adverse and non-human conditions. Search for texts that contain stories like that and work them as a comparative element to the film.

2- The legend of Romulus and Remus (legendary founders of Rome, that had been fed by a wolf), the classical story of Tarzan (created by Edgar Rice Burroughs) and the tale "Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling, are basical documents for people who intend to study the question regarding the relationship of man and nature.

3- Nell's language problems, that came from her contact with her illness mother and isolation, can be a reference to understand eventual mistakes commited by some of our students when they communicate orally and in a written form. The same way it happens with the main character of the film, it is very possible that the difficulties of some of our students are originated on the domestic inhabit. Why don't we research it?

4- Biotechnology and ethics in science can be explored themes from the movie "Nell". There are many doubts coming from it, such as: The conduct assumed by the scientists regarding Nell was adequate? What about the respect to the fact they were dealing with a human being not with an animal guinea pig*? If there was not intervention from the scientists how would be Nell's life? In our life will prevail the genetic patterns given to us by our parents or the changes we accomplish in the contact we have with people, places, things throughout our lives? Researches that promote the cloning techniques or the genetic alteration on the patterns of many living species (animals or vegetables) bring more problems or solutions to humanity and to the planet?

* Until which point is it necessary to use guinea pigs on the scientific experiments held by companies or even by universities? Aren't we causing environmental problems on acting this way? What could be done so that these procedures can be replaced by other ones less offensive and dangerous to animals? These are also fundamental questions on the establishment of ethics in science, we must use these ideas to mobilize our students...

João Luís Almeida Machado
Master Degree in Education, Arts and History of Culture (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, in São Paulo); Professor at Faculdade Senac in Campos do Jordão; Middle and High School teacher; writes weekly columns for the website Planeta Educação (www.planetaeducacao.com.br).

Send e-mails, comments, suggestions and critics for:
profjoaoluis@planetaeducacao.com.br

Technical Information

Nell

Country/Year of production:- USA, 1994
Lenght of time/Gender:- 115 min., Drama
Director: Michael Apted
Screenwriters: William Nicholson and Mark Handley
Cast:- Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson, Miranda Richardson,
Robin Mullins, Richard Libertini, Nick Sersi.

Links

- http://www.adorocinema.com/filmes/nell/nell.htm (in portuguese)
- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Nell-1058921/ (in english)
- http://us.imdb.com/Title?0110638 (in english)