Nell

The backwoods of North Carolina is where Nell (Jodie Foster) lives, all alone. She has her own form of language and no idea of a world beyond her small plot of land. Then civilisation enters her life in the form of two doctors (Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson), who discover the untamed wild child. Now that they have come to study her, Nell's life will never be the same again--but neither will theirs. Based on Mark Handley's play IDIOGLOSSIA, which means a language for one, NELL is an intriguing look at a person who has grown up without any contact with the modern world--like the famous wild boy of Aveyron portrayed in Francois Truffaut's WILD CHILD. Foster is excellent in delivering Nell's unique language and body movements, while Neeson and Richardson are intense in their sparring over how Nell should be treated. For eclectic director Michael Apted, this film is just one of several (COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER and GORILLAS IN THE MIST) he has made about women who are not easily categorised. NELL is also the first film from Foster's production company, Egg Pictures.