James Marsh, Oscar-winning director of Man on Wire, presents another gripping chronicle of an unthinkable endeavor. An experiment in the 1970s set out to discover whether a chimpanzee, if raised as a human being, could master sign language and communicate with people. Nim’s astounding journey begins shortly after his birth, when he is seized from his mother and moved to the home of a psychology student, who raises him alongside her children. From there he is catapulted through a series of masters, environments, and objectives as the results of the experiment become increasingly murky. Is he a child, an experiment, or a playmate? The events of Nim’s life are deftly recounted through a trove of archival footage, expertly crafted reenactments, and interviews with the principle figures responsible for the chimp’s upbringing. Nim’s story is both exhilarating and devastating, his experiences swinging from magnificently affectionate to horrifically violent. The extent to which Nim is able to learn language is ultimately unclear, but what is never in doubt is his enormous impact on the humans around him.  ST