Film: Nénette
Release date: 4th February 2011
Certificate: PG
Running time: 70 mins
Director: Nicolas Philibert
Starring: N/a
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: Cinema
Country: France
In the words of director Nicolas Philibert, “Nénette is a mirror… we attribute all kinds of feelings, intentions and even thoughts to her. In talking about her, we talk about ourselves.” These words act as a great introduction to this film, but they still manage to go only some of the way in explaining the unusual appeal of this film-documentary which centres on Nénette the orangutan, a key attraction of the Jardin des Plantes Zoo, Paris.
Transferred to captivity from her natural habitat in Borneo 37 years ago, Nénette, is now over 40 years old, and has far surpassed the usual life-expectancy of her species. She is still, though, as one of the zoo’s visitors points out, the “victim of her own rarity,” and - as the camera focuses on her from the other side of her glass cage - we learn of her life, of the three mates she has outlived, and of the four children she has born (three of which have been transported to other locations in the interest of conservation)…
In reviewing a documentary, you expect to be able to offer little to nothing on aspects such as characters and scripting. However, if there is one thing that Philibert can be congratulated for in Nénette, it is his well-executed inclusion of these elements within this genre. For example, the subtle establishment of Nénette’s character and history is incredibly successful, with the viewer more than likely to be drawn into her story. Be warned, though, this is achieved largely through the use of extended close-ups, and the passing comments and interviews of unseen visitors and staff at Jardin des Plantes. As a result, it does require some concentration to get the very best out of the story. Philibert’s ‘script’ technique is interesting, too, owing to the unusual combination of impromptu reactions and comments from visitors with a handful of staff interviews, which were probably useful in allowing some scope for the management of structure and theme-development in the film.
It might not be quite right to say that this documentary has a plotline so much as that some carefully considered framing and audio-visual editing have managed to highlight a series of themes which are interesting enough to occupy and entertain most people for seventy minutes. Similarly, we won’t be crediting Nénette and her orangutan companions with award-winning ‘performances’. However, Philibert can be worthily commended for capturing the very charm of these animals that first inspired him to create this short film. The human-like behaviours that Nénette exhibits are the most captivating of all, and the choice to include images from her ‘tea time’ was brilliant - there is something quite enthralling about watching an orangutan masterfully open and enjoy a flask of tea and a yoghurt as though she were a sun-worshipping picnicker in the park.
The running theme of this film seems to be that of the similarities between human and orangutan behaviours. The ‘mirror’ effect between the two sides of the glass emphasises the possibility of Nénette being capable of sharing human thoughts and feelings, and this is established by stark facial close-ups and a fly-on-the-wall filming style. All of this encourages the viewer to question how much Nénette is able to take in and understand, and, more importantly, how she might feel about all of it. With this, Nénette inevitably raises some of the moral and ethical questions that exist around keeping wild animals in captivity. However, crucially, this is left up to the viewer to make up their own mind, and thankfully, while there is plenty of room for sympathising with Nénette’s seeming depression, with the little orangutans playing happily nearby, too, there is little chance of this film being misinterpreted as any kind of animal rights propaganda.
This film certainly evokes curiosity about this little-known and little-understood species, and it does invite the viewer to ask many questions that unfortunately Nénette is, quite literally, unable to offer any answers to. This is, though, a truly fascinating picture, and part of its magnetism lies in this inherent inability of Nénette to give you any of your answers. Individual interpretation of her moods, thoughts and feelings mean that this film might potentially mean quite different things to different people. LJ
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