Jane

Documentary of a life spent to prove the point that humans and chimpanzees are behaviorally linked, closer than previously thought. Dr. Louis Leakey had sought a grant to study chimps in the wild and appointed a 26-year-old researcher without a scientific degree or background, Jane Goodall to conduct this mission hoping it would lead to new insights about early man. Focusing on her groundbreaking field work, where her mission to get close enough to be accepted by these nearly human animals would introduce her to cameraman and her future husband Hugo van Lawick, Goodall’s six-month investigation would dominate her life as she becomes absorbed in the ape community much like her childhood inspiration, Tarzan! Learning from her subjects how to cope with aloneness and ultimately maternal instincts with her own son, Grub, Goodall’s love of animals and monumental patience pays off.

[NR]