Director: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield
Starring: Tim Allen (narrator)
Running Time: 78 minutes
Certificate: U
Synopsis: A documentary following Oscar, a three month-old chimpanzee who is orphaned when his mother is killed during the aftermath of an attack on his clan by a rival group of chimps. Alone and vulnerable, there seems to be little hope for Oscar until a surprising ally, Freddy, the alpha male of the group, takes him under his tutelage.
CHIMPANZEE is an extraordinarily hopeful tale, with several engaging story arcs, including Oscar’s parental loss and gain, the survivalism involved in the everyday lives of the chimps, and the ongoing battle with a rival chimp group. It also boasts some exquisite wildlife photography which took the film crew four years in the Ivory Coast’s Tai National Park to attain. However, despite it being a success for the most part, it does suffer slightly by missing out on a crucial plot point, albeit through no fault of the filmmakers themselves.
The death of Oscar’s mother, Isha, which takes place relatively early in the narrative, is not only not shown, but is also not explained, referred to in purely speculative terms. This, in fairness to Fothergill and Linfield, is due to the unpredictable nature of the film they are making and the circumstances surrounding her death. It must be practically impossible to absorb everything during an epic war between two incensed cartloads of chimps, but the fact this fairly large question mark is left hovering in the ether does frustrate slightly.
On a more positive note, Tim Allen’s narration might seem like an odd phenomenon, but it works surprisingly well overall, especially considering the intended audience. He brings his patented, lighthearted quirks to the role, including – if you listen carefully – a brief Tim Taylor-esque grunt for good measure. His genuine enthusiasm for the subject matter is evident in the lilt of his voice, which adds another layer of authenticity to the story. Furthermore, his ability to incorporate humour into an often tragic tale without degrading or detracting from its seriousness is yet another well-crafted achievement.
Although it is unfortunate a portion of CHIMPANZEE’s narrative is lost in the cosmos, it is definitely a success. It is plain to see just how much time and effort went into making it, and little Oscar’s story is so vividly unique and eventful that the aforementioned grievance doesn’t take much away from the finished article.
CHIMPANZEE is out now in the US and arrives in UK cinemas on 3rd May.
