Taglines: Her heart. Her soul. Her language are a mystery…A mystery called Nell.
Nell is a girl who’s been brought up in an isolated world. The only people she knew were her mother and twin sister. They lived together in a cottage in the forest. Nobody has ever met Nell. After her mother’s death, she’s discovered by the local doctor Jerome. He’s fascinated by her, since she speaks a mangled language, developed by her sister and herself growing up, “twin speak” if you will. But Paula, a psychology student, wants her observed in a laboratory. The judge decides they get three months to observe her in the forest, after which he’ll decide about Nell’s future.
Nell is a 1994 American drama film starring Jodie Foster as a young woman who has to face other people for the first time after being raised by her mother in an isolated cabin. The film also co-starred Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Richard Libertini, and Nick Searcy. The film was directed by Michael Apted, and was based on Mark Handley’s play Idioglossia. The play was inspired by Handley’s time living in the Cascade Mountains in the 1970s, and the story of Poto and Cabengo, a pair of twins who created their own language.
The original music score is composed by Mark Isham. Foster was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role. She also won the first Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress. The film was given a limited release on December 16, 1994, before expanding into wide release on December 23, 1994.
About the Story
When stroke victim Violet Kellty dies in her isolated cabin in the North Carolina mountains, Dr. Jerome “Jerry” Lovell, the town doctor, finds a terrified young woman hiding in the house rafters. She speaks angrily and rapidly, but seems to have a language of her own. Looking at Violet’s Bible, Jerry finds a note asking whoever finds it to look after Violet’s daughter Nell. Sheriff Todd Peterson shows Jerry a news clipping that Nell was conceived through rape.
Jerry seeks the help of Dr. Paula Olsen, a researcher working with autistic children. Paula and her colleague Dr. Alexander “Al” Paley are interested in studying a “wild child” (feral child), and Al continues calling Nell this even after studying films showing that Nell does not fit the “wild child” profile. Paula and Al get a court order to institutionalize Nell for further study. Jerry hires lawyer Don Fontana and prevents it. The judge gives Jerry and Paula three months to interact with Nell and discover her needs. Paula shows up on a houseboat with electronic equipment to monitor Nell’s behavior while Jerry chooses to stay in Nell’s cabin and quietly observe.
Paula discovers that Nell’s seemingly indecipherable language is English, based partly on her mother’s aphasic speech after a stroke, and partly on the secret language she shared with her decades-deceased identical twin sister. Jerry and Paula begin a grudging friendship.
Nell sleeps during the day or works inside her home and is active outdoors only after sunset. She explains to Jerry that her mother told her about the rape and warned her that men were evildoers. As Nell comes to trust Jerry, she sees him as a friend, the “gah’inja” her mother promised would come. Jerry later realizes that “gah’inja” is Nell’s phrase for “guardian angel.” Using popcorn as an incentive, Jerry is able to lead Nell outside and into the sun. Nell leads Jerry and Paula to the decayed remains of her identical twin sister, May, who died in a fall while the two were playing in the woods.
Mike Ibarra, a reporter, learns of Nell’s existence and visits her cabin. Nell is curious of the visitor at first, but when he snaps a photo, the flash frightens Nell. Jerry arrives and throws the reporter out. Paula believes that Nell would be safer in a hospital, while Jerry feels that Nell should be left alone and allowed to live as she pleases. The two decide that Nell should be shown a little of the world, and they make the decision to bring Nell into town.
While in town, Nell befriends Mary, Todd’s depressed wife, but also encounters some raunchy boys in a pool hall until Jerry gets her out. With increased intrusion by the press, Jerry and Paula take Nell to a hospital for her protection. There, Nell becomes extremely despondent and unresponsive. Jerry removes her from the hospital and hides her in a hotel. Paula joins him, and the two admit that they love each other.
Nell (1994)
Directed by: Michael Apted
Starring: Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Richard Libertini, Nick Searcy, Jeremy Davies, Heather M. Bomba, Jeremy Davies, Stephanie Dawn Wood
Screenplay by: William Nicholson, Mark Handley
Production Design by: Jon Hutman
Cinematography by: Dante Spinotti
Film Editing by: Jim Clark
Costume Design by: Susan Lyall
Set Decoration by: Samara Hutman
Art Direction by: Tim Galvin
Music by: Mark Isham
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for nudity.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: December 16, 1994
Views: 1675
