Human Nature

Human Nature is a 2001 comedy film, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry. It was Kaufman's second produced screenplay, following his debut with Being John Malkovich; the film stars Tim Robbins, Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto and Patricia Arquette. It was screened out of competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. A philosophical burlesque, Human Nature follows the ups and downs of an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist, and t... more

Human Nature is a 2001 comedy film, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry. It was Kaufman's second produced screenplay, following his debut with Being John Malkovich; the film stars Tim Robbins, Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto and Patricia Arquette. It was screened out of competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. A philosophical burlesque, Human Nature follows the ups and downs of an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist, and the man they discover who was raised in the wild as an ape. 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.... less