|
Human Nature review
:. Director: Michel Gondry
:. Starring: Rhys Ifans, Patricia Arquette
:. Running Time: 1:36
:. Year: 2001
:. Country: USA/France
|
An adaptation of Charlie Kaufman's script produced by Spike Jonze, the duo behind Being John Malkovich, Human Nature could only mean an odd hurlyburly film. Only halfway successful since director Michel Gondry makes a hirsute comedy led by a solid cast that nonetheless loses its breath over the length of the film.
Tim Robbins is Nathan Bronfman, a researcher obsessed with good manners whose project is "to civilize" a wild man, Puff (Rhys Ifans). Patricia Arquette plays Nathan's girlfriend Lila Jute, an abnormally hairy woman who is divided between her desire of normality and her true nature.
As understood, the film is constructed around two antagonisms: that of the nature and civilization found in Puff and the human nature and appearance that affects Lila. While Human Nature clearly pokes fun at modern civilization, it is not however a humanistic fable. Nathan symbolizes the superficial character of modern society. His definition of the perfect man—erudite, cultured and refined—quickly turns out to be a tedious snobbery that cannot truly serve as a model. On the other hand, the final twist also shows that utopia is not a solution but rather a lure for the naive. Far from preaching a return to nature, Human Nature opts instead for an adaptation of society's mold without erasing the cave man that lies dormant in us.
While the film has without any doubt the touch of madness that seems to characterize Charlie Kaufman's work, it is neither as cerebral nor as original as Being John Malkovich. The topics tackled were already treated in films as diverse as Truffaut's Wild Child, Todd Brownings' Freaks or the unpalatable The Loss of Sexual Innocence by Mike Figgis. The movie also seems to surf the current wave of vulgar American films. One thinks of the Farrelly Brothers or American Pie.
Human Nature also sins by a deceleration of rhythm halfway through. In his first directing effort, Michel Gondry—a defector of music video (Bjork, Daft-Punk, Rolling Stones, IAM.) and advertising (Nike, Gap, Coke) who is rather accustomed to fast editing following musical rhythm, fails to sustain the audience's attention in the less "glorious" moments. It fact it succeeds better in wacky or explosive scenes. The four main actors know how to spice up an already spicy script. Their performance is a treat and makes the most insane moments even more delectable. One can only admire the naturalness of Patricia Arquette and Rhys Ifans who say their wacky lines naked. One Arquette deserves to be saluted for taking risks antipodal to the usual Hollywood path. Ifans, of Notting Hill fame, confirms his stature as the crank of current cinema. Tim Robbins does not deprive himself either while Miranda Otto is a perfect false ingenue.
Human Nature is perhaps not a total success but it deserves to be seen for its daring in such a soft cinematic landscape.
Fred Thom
 Movie Reviews: from 1998 to 2011
Reviews since 2012
|
|
