From the people who brought you Being John Malcovich comes a new movie with a fresh and interesting twist on the commentary of our culture. Starring Patricia Arquette, Tim Robbins, and the fabulous (and somewhat unknown) Rhys Ifans, Human Nature explores the sticky subject of our own concepts of civilization and the things that make us "human."

Arquette plays a woman who's off-kilter hormones have caused her to grow thick hair all over her body. After suffering social intolerance most of her life and then working in a circus freakshow, she decides to kill herself. Just before completing the act, she has an epiphany and realizes the only way to live happily is to embrace her furry pelt and live among the animals of the forest. There's a lot of running around with nothing on but her body hair and a smile, singing (yes, singing), and communing with nature.

After many years of solitary living, Arquette decides she needs to find a man to love and and screw like a bunny. She begins electrolysis to get rid of her hair, and her electrolysis technician (played by Rosie Perez, oddly enough) sets her up with a patient (played by Robbins) of her psychiatrist brother. You got all that? Robbins is an anal-retentive scientist who's life's work is teaching lab mice table manners. He believes the root of all human evil is simply a lack of culture; if he can teach a mouse which fork to use for the salad course, he can therefore eradicate animalistic behavior in humans.

At the same time, there's another "wild child" (played by Ifans) living au natural in the woods. His story began when he was a tiny baby and his insane father (who believed he was an ape) kidnapped him from his mother and took him to the woods to raise him as a chimpanzee. He exists with the simple notion that he is an ape and lives in harmony with his natural surroundings.

One day while hiking, Robbins and Arquette come upon Ifans. Robbins decides to kick his research up a notch and use the wild man (who he renames "Puff") as his first human test subject. Arquette protests, but decides that if she's going to be happy with Robbins she must reject her instincts (as well as her body hair). Robbins's research is a success, and he is able to teach Puff manners and culture through shock negative reinforcement. But Arquette, disgusted with her betrayal to Puff and her own nature and heart-broken by Robbins's affair with his pseudo-French lab assistant, runs away to reclaim her natural self. Meanwhile, all the electricity in the world cannot quell Puff's animal sexual instincts. Arquette returns to capture him an send him back out into the wild. The same inhumane shock tactics are used to re-teach Puff about his natural and free side, and he and Arquette live happily and peacefully in the forest they both once loved.

Sex, lies, betrayal, and loads of hairy nudity help weave this story and make it thought-provoking and wonderful, albeit wacky. Human Nature does a splendid job of exploring the two extremes of human civilization: animal instinct versus culture and societal restriction. I'm sure (like with Being John Malcovich) everyone can take away their own interpretation of this movie. For me, it said that there is little more than society's rules that keeps the whole of the human race from living wild. While it's true that we are sentient beings blessed with intelligence, free will, and the concept of our own consciousness, we are still animals deep down. We have urges and instincts that society has taught us to bury and ignore.

I don't agree with either extreme in Human Behavior but by demonstrating those extremes, this movie forces you to think about where you (as an individual) lie within the socitey we've created. I believe that there is a middle ground, and it's our job as humans to find it. Repression leads to madness (as demonstrated by Robbins's character) but so does totally running wild. Our gift is that we are aware of our own mortality and spirituality, and that we have the minds to explore and enrich both those aspects of our character.

So think, people. Exercise your right to use your gray matter. No matter what extreme you may chose, or if you fall somewhere in between, find what fits you best and that's what's right.

Big thanks to DJ for shelling out the dough for the DVD and for watching this kooky move with me. You're a smart boy; I'm sure you've got your own thoughts and'll let me know about 'em. ;)

Until next time, kats and kitties.

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