I've always had an interest in primates. And, though I've heard about the works of Goodall and Fossey, I never knew of Carter with Lucy. So, I watched with great interest because it's a fascinating, if not at times infuriating, documentary.
First of all, I've seen some online criticism of Carter for her attempt to rehabilitate Lucy. The real scorn should be directed at the. Temerlins. It's abhorrent what they did with their 'experiment' to see if they could make a chimp more human. A mother being drugged up then stealing her baby to never be seen again is pure cruelty. Then years later, the Temerlins decide the chimp is no longer worth the trouble so they send her off to Africa to see if she can live in the wild. Horrible people. I give credit to Carter as their assistant for sticking it out all those years to ensure Lucy could survive on her own. But, I could not help think while watching, that Lucy's life was so domesticated with humans, that it might have made more sense to just let her finish her life back in the US, even if at a zoo.
The documentary is done in a style that we're seeing more of lately where archival footage is mixed in with reenactments with actors. One thing that left me guessing was at the end where is was mentioned that a search party found the 'scattered remains of Lucy'. Scattered remains? Does that mean foul play? The director could have elaborated on this even if it was not certain.
First of all, I've seen some online criticism of Carter for her attempt to rehabilitate Lucy. The real scorn should be directed at the. Temerlins. It's abhorrent what they did with their 'experiment' to see if they could make a chimp more human. A mother being drugged up then stealing her baby to never be seen again is pure cruelty. Then years later, the Temerlins decide the chimp is no longer worth the trouble so they send her off to Africa to see if she can live in the wild. Horrible people. I give credit to Carter as their assistant for sticking it out all those years to ensure Lucy could survive on her own. But, I could not help think while watching, that Lucy's life was so domesticated with humans, that it might have made more sense to just let her finish her life back in the US, even if at a zoo.
The documentary is done in a style that we're seeing more of lately where archival footage is mixed in with reenactments with actors. One thing that left me guessing was at the end where is was mentioned that a search party found the 'scattered remains of Lucy'. Scattered remains? Does that mean foul play? The director could have elaborated on this even if it was not certain.
