Nell (1994)

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers (WGA):

Mark Handley (play)
William Nicholson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Her heart. Her soul. Her language are a mystery...A mystery called Nell.

Plot:

Nell is a girl who's been brought up in an isolated world. The only people she knew were her mother and twin sister...

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Twins | Psychology | Sisters | Forest

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jodie Foster	...	Nell
Liam Neeson	...	Jerome Lovell
Natasha Richardson	...	Paula Olsen
Richard Libertini	...	Alexander Paley
Nick Searcy	...	Todd Peterson
Robin Mullins	...	Mary Peterson
Jeremy Davies	...	Billy Fisher
O'Neal Compton	...	Don Fontana
Heather M. Bomba	...	Twin #1
Marianne E. Bomba	...	Twin #2
Sean Bridgers	...	Mike Ibarra
Joe Inscoe	...	Judge
Stephanie Dawn Wood	...	Ruthie Lovell
Mary Lynn Riner	...	Janet Baring
Lucile McIntyre	...	Sally

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for nudity.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 (w) | Netherlands:AL | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Angel Medical Center, Franklin, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Egg Pictures

Trivia:

Fifteen minutes in, the sheriff hands Dr. Lovell a photocopied newspaper article with a by-line of "by Mark Hutton". Mark Hutton is credited as having worked on props for the film.

Quotes:

Jerry: She lives here all alone, huh?
Sheriff Todd Peterson: That's what hermits do, Lowell. They live alone and they die alone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Jeff Daniels/Luscious Jackson (#20.10)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

CRAZY

Like many great films of the mid-90s, this one has been underrated and forgotten.

One thing that I particularly enjoyed about "Nell" was the way that Michael Apted approached the material. Like his biographical films ("Coal Miner's Daughter", "Gorillas in the Mist", etc.) he films his characters of Nell and Dr. Lovell like real people, even with their fictional roots. Apted's style is very character-centric, which suits this film extremely well. Though this film is very much about Nell, Jodie Foster isn't exactly the star, at least not in the traditional sense. She buries herself into the role to an extent that she has never done before. Liam Neeson plays a rather atypical role, though he is still the dashing hero. Natasha Richardson's role is a bit thankless, but she pulls it off wonderfully.

"Nell" is an understated film, but I hope you will find it as beautiful and moving as I have.

7.5 out of 10