You are here:

Chimpanzee

Name: Chimpanzee
Director: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield
Released: 2012
Duration: 78 min

Representation Score

2.0/10

Minimal

2012

Director

Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield

Runtime

78 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Chimpanzee is a traditional natural history documentary that prioritizes biological authenticity over social commentary. The film's narrative structure is designed to observe the natural world rather than challenge or reinforce human social hierarchies. Because the subjects are non-human primates, many metrics of human diversity are not applicable. The film remains within a neutral, observational framework that focuses on instinct and environmental pressures rather than human-centric social structures. Ultimately, the work lacks the intentionality required to engage with the overlapping aspects of identity or the subversion of cultural norms, as its scope is strictly confined to the laws of the jungle.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Chimpanzee have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses entirely on the biological behaviors of non-human primates. It contains no depictions of same-sex intimacy or non-conforming gender identities.

How does Chimpanzee portray gender?

Fair

The narrative highlights the maternal role through Oscar's mother and her eventual protector. It observes biological social structures without addressing human gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Chimpanzee?

Fair

Set in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rainforests, the film features non-human subjects. Human racial and ethnic identities are not relevant to the cast.

How does Chimpanzee represent religion and culture?

Limited

The documentary operates within a naturalistic paradigm focused on survival. It avoids human religious, political, or economic ideologies entirely.

Does Chimpanzee include disability representation?

Minimal

Physical vulnerabilities are presented as biological realities of the animal kingdom. The film does not treat impairment as a social identity or narrative device.

Present on Screen

Provides a nuanced view of maternal roles and the protective behaviors of female chimpanzees.
Offers a non-Western setting by filming in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rainforests.
Prioritizes biological authenticity and the observation of organic social structures.

Limited or Absent

Lacks any engagement with human-centric social, political, or cultural identities.
Does not attempt to challenge or deconstruct traditional biological or social roles.
Provides no depiction of LGBTQ+ identities or non-conforming gender structures.

Official Synopsis

A nature documentary centered on a family of chimps living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests. Through Oscar, a little chimpanzee, we discover learning about life in the heart of the African tropical forest and follow his first steps in this world with humor, emotion and anguish. Following a tragedy, he finds himself separated from his mother and left alone to face the hostility of the jungle. Until he is picked up by an older chimpanzee, who will take him under her protection.

How are these scores produced? →