February 8, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, III & IV • Page 23 ‘Project Nim’ is a look at an experiment gone wrong by Dennis Seuling “Project Nim” (Lionsgate) is a captivating documentary from the team that created 2008’s “Man on Wire.” In 1973, Columbia University psychology professor Herbert Terrace had a chimp named Nim sent to New York to be raised by a human family. Terrace’s hope was that Nim would learn sign language. What followed was a series of mistakes and boundary violations that compounded as Nim grew up. At first a sweet, cuddly simian brother to his human family, Nim soon outgrew his Manhattan apartment and was moved to a Columbiaowned estate in nearby Riverdale, where he was cared for by a number of Terrace’s assistants, all young, female and pretty. As Nim learned to sign, play, and brush his teeth, he also became mired in the dysfunctional dynamics of Terrace’s odd lifestyle. The view of humans is not very positive in “Project Nim.” In a number of interviews, the scientists involved express regret that they created a situation that they were unprepared for due to lack of a precedent. There are a few kind, compassionate souls who fought for Nim’s freedom, but what strikes the viewer is the failure to take simple steps that would have improved Nim’s life. This heartrending documentary follows the sad arc of Nim’s life. He was torn from his mother’s arms at an Oklahoma primate misguided good intentions of those involved in the project. Viewers see how Nim was failed by overly ambitious humans at nearly every turn. DVD special features include audio commentary with director James Marsh and a making-of featurette. “Fireflies in the Garden” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) is a semi-autobiographical film by Korean director Dennis Lee. Michael (Ryan Reynolds) is a romance writer who returns to his Midwest family home for the belated college graduation of his mother, Lisa (Julia Roberts). His visit is not pleasant, primarily because of his ongoing troubled relationship with his abusive, controlling father, Charles (Willem Dafoe). When unexpected tragedy strikes, it serves to amplify the overall family dysfunction. It’s amazing to see such a fine cast totally bogged down by a soap opera tale with little originality or distinction. Several family members are introduced for no apparent reason other than to show that the entire family is, in one way or another, off the rails. There is lots of resentment, grudges, A chimpanzee is the subject of a psychological experiment with unanticipated consequences in the documentary, ‘Project Nim.’ center at two weeks old, raised like a child by a wealthy family, removed to an estate staffed by researchers, and once more whisked away into cages at a medical lab for vaccine testing. Director James Marsh presents a few recreations of events, which might be objectionable to documentary purists, but he succeeds in telling Nim’s story and pointing out the insensitivities, self-absorption, and and pent-up anger, but viewers never really get insight into why this is such a perennially glum group. The movie made the round of film festivals in 2008, but had been on the shelf until its theatrical release last year. It’s easy to see why. Both Roberts and Reynolds have been aged with makeup, but they never convince viewers they are older than their real years. Despite its cast, which also includes Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hayden Panettiere, “Fireflies in the Garden” is a tedious, whiny slog. The only bonus is a making-of featurette. “Mildred Pierce” (HBO Home Entertainment) is the complete TV miniseries based on the 1941 James M. Cain novel. This version is far truer to Cain’s book than the 1945 Joan Crawford movie. Kate Winslet plays Mildred, an ambitious lower middle class woman whose husband leaves her. By hard work, instinct, and courage, she becomes successful enough to satisfy every wish of her spoiled daughter, Veda (Evan Rachel Wood) but still craves her daughter’s love (continued on Crossword page)