Project Nim is an amazing documentary that follows the life of Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment that aimed to see if an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. This film follows Nim's extraordinary journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way.
1. Was there a specific scene that got to you? Describe and explain how it moved you (Angry? Curious? Delighted? Motivated?). Give a lot of detail, and really dive into how it affected you. Don’t hold back.
One scene that felt really impactful to me was when Nim was living at the animal sanctuary ranch. While it was terrible how they used him for medical research before, I felt very strongly when they showed Nim in his cage alone and bored. I feel very strongly that animals used as pets should live the best life since their lives seem so short. Seeing Nim just in the cage alone, barely playing, and destroying his entertainment devices made me feel very sad for his life. I have a dog at home and I always think about her life quality. My parents tell me they let her walk around the house sometimes but I know in reality she is only allowed outside or in the kitchen with the gate up. At this point, her life is to sleep, eat, poop, repeat. I feel like she is in the same situation Nim was in where there is no life quality. Once I graduate college and get my own place I plan on asking them if I can take care of her. I would most likely get a second dog too because even though it be difficult, pets deserve the best lives possible. This is why it hurt me so much when they focused on Nim being caged and alone.
2. What surprised you? Why do you think it caught you off guard?
I was really surprised how the handlers became comfortable with Nims bitting. I would be terrified to be bit by an animal like that. When they interviewed the handlers they just seemed so nonchalant like it hurt but then he’d sign sorry. The watcher could tell with them not focusing on his biting, bigger events were going to happen which eventually did when he bit a handler’s cheek.
3. What questions remain after the viewing? What feelings stayed with you after the film? Did they “pop up” in your life in unexpected ways? When? How? What was that like?
What was the point of the experiment in all reality? I feel like Herbert Terrace had no care for the animals well being and had no plan once the experiment either succeeded or failed. Sure Nim learned sign language but what the hell was your plan afterward. He cannot be released into the wild and instead of sending him to a sanctuary or zoo they just sold him for medical research. Still pisses me off to think about how careless he was.
4. Why might we avoid including research in our summaries? What could go wrong?
Summaries are supposed to be unbiased and focus more on what the documentary tried to portray. If your doing outside research that kind of discourage was a major point and research the documentary tried to share with you.
