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Human Nature
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Synopsis
Video director Michel Gondry and scriptwriter Charles Kaufman -- who shot to fame after penning Being John Malkovich -- collaborate on this bizarre fable about human behavior in and out of society. The film opens by quickly introducing the three leads -- Lila (Patricia Arquette) who is locked away in prison; Puff (Rhys Ifans) who is testifying before Congress; and Nathan Bronfman (Tim Robbins) who is sitting in a glowing white afterlife waiting room with a bullet hole in his head. Rewinding to the beginning of the story, the film shows Lila as a girl about to enter womanhood. Unfortunately, puberty goes horribly awry and she starts to grow thick hair all over her body. After performing as Queen Kong in a circus freak show, she chucks it all and goes to live in the forest, where she becomes the best-selling author of a misanthropic hard-line ecological tome. At age 30, her itch for male companionship becomes overwhelming and she ventures back into the city. She is helped by electrolysis guru Louise (Rosie Perez), who not only makes Lila presentable to society, but introduces her to Nathan, a 35-year-old virgin who, as a scientist, has devoted his life to teaching table etiquette to lab mice. While showing Nathan the joys of the wild outdoors, Lila and her new beau discover an extremely hirsute feral man whom they dub Puff. Placing him a cage in his lab, Nathan sets out to teach Puff the ways of polite society while dreaming of fame and fortune. The first task is to curb Puff's enormous sexual appetite -- any time he catches sight of a female, Puff either tries to hump her or masturbates vigorously. Nathan yokes him with an electric collar that shocks him any time he acts unseemly. Unfortunately, the humans on the other side of the cage can't quite control their libidos either: Nathan succumbs to the incessant double entendres of his saucy French assistant Gabrielle (Miranda Otto) while Lila finds an animalistic lust for Nathan's science experiment. This film was screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Cast

Patricia Arquette Lila Jute
Miranda Otto Gabrielle
Miguel Sandoval Wendall the Therapist
Robert Forster Nathan's Father
Rosie Perez Louise
Mary Kay Place Nathan's Mother
Tim Robbins Nathan Bronfman
Peter Dinklage Frank
Toby Huss Puff's Father
Rhys Ifans Puff

Production Crew

Peter Andrus Art Director
Jeanne McCarthy Casting
Tim Maurice-Jones Cinematographer
Graeme Revell Composer (Music Score)
Nancy Steiner Costume Designer
Michel Gondry Director
Anthony Bregman Producer
Charlie Kaufman Producer
Spike Jonze Producer
Ted Hope Producer
Barney Burman Prosthetic Makeup Effects
Charlie Kaufman Screenwriter
Gene Serdena Set Designer
Drew Kunin Sound/Sound Designer
Year: 2001
Runtime: 96
Country: France
MPAA Rating: R
for sexuality/nudity and language
Category: Feature

Genre
Comedy Drama

Color type
FotoKem color

Sound
Dolby

Produced by
Beverly Detroit
Canal Plus
Fine Line Features
Good Machine
Partizan

Release
April 12, 2002 (USA - Limited)
by Fine Line Features