Nénette

Nénette
Directed by	Nicolas Philibert
Produced by	Serge Lalou
Starring	Nénette
Music by	Pascal Gallois Philippe Hersant
Cinematography	Katell Djian Nicolas Philibert
Editing by	Léa Masson Nicolas Philibert
Distributed by	Les Films du Losange
Release date(s)	15 February 2010 (2010-02-15) (Berlinale) 31 March 2010 (2010-03-31) (France)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Nénette is a 2010 French documentary film about a 40-year-old female orangutan living in the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes, (the zoo in Paris, France). The film, directed by Nicolas Philibert presents an intimate portrait of the ape, originally from Borneo, who has spent her most of her life in captivity. In accord with the Cinéma vérité style of Philibert's earlier works, the camera rests on Nénette and her son Tübo in their glass-fronted enclosure. We hear the conversations and see the reflections of the zoo visitors in the glass as they regard Nénette, a mother of four who has survived three mates.^[1]

Reception

Nenette has received positive reviews from critics, scoring 83% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 7.6/10. Some positive reviews have praised how the film is shot centred on Nenette and raises questions about her life and captivity. Total Film magazine awarded Nenette 4 stars with reviewer Tom Dawson saying "If the tea-drinking Nénette remains an enigmatic figure, Philibert makes fascinatingly clear how we humans project our own feelings and thoughts onto her". Other good reviews have come from Empire magazine and Sight & Sound.

In popular culture

In the TV show Gossip Girl, season 4 episode 11, two of the main characters, Blair Waldorf and Dan Humphrey, both express their love for this film.

References

1. ^ Nénette at the 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival

External links

• Nénette at the Internet Movie Database