Review of Gorillas in the Mist (1988) by Kylie P — 24 Oct 2009

The best part about Gorillas in the Mist is that it's far from manipulative or coercive in its attempts to provide a balanced account of a woman's life that ended mysteriously and amid controversy over an issue that doesn't necessarily have the widespread support one would expect. Much of the criticism of the film centered on the idea that the depiction of Fossey as a potentially homicidal devotee to her gorillas was inaccurate and biased, and that Fossey was a victim of political assassination in life and death as a crazy woman, attempting to force her western ideals on a less-than-advanced culture dependent upon the revenues of poaching and looking to indict Fossey in the worldwide court of public opinion. Still others felt the film undersold her devotion to these animals, from a school of thought believing that the "crazy woman" moniker wasn't developed enough, while others felt the conservationist messages were not strong enough because the film was too busy focusing on a murder mystery rather than the work of a heroic woman. In reality, the movie was just balanced enough to incorporate all of those views and to let the viewer decide how to accept the message(s).

In fact, the conservationist message rang loud and clear, and the endeavor to present a balanced portrait of a woman whose work and life choices could be interpreted in several ways, allowing time to each of the possible theories, was the most fair way to depict the life of an otherwise controversial, complex. and passionate woman. Sigourney Weaver's performance was the key to the whole picture coming together; her sensitive portrayal of this person never strayed into the deliberately outlandish. Everything from her interactions with the live (and, apparently, costumed) gorillas--quite the scene stealers themselves-- to her more impassioned outbursts, to her joy, and yes, even to the extreme devotion Fossey had for these animals was given a mesmerizing treatment by Weaver. It was her performance that kept the film from falling too far on one particular side or position of the controversy underpinning Fossey's life and her performance that kept this viewer engaged.

Because of the type of film that it is, there was some erratic pacing, and the film seemed to lose its pacing consistency about the time that the Fossey character was becoming more active in her efforts to hold her research assistants and the rest of the world at large at bay from invading her and her gorillas' territory. The film is slow and deliberate, which suits its subject, until it decides to tell the tale of Fossey's murder and the events leading up to it, which happens to be a second act switch. Weaver's performance, though, is really the hallmark of Gorillas in the Mist and, alone, makes the film recommendable, but add to her performance the breathtaking cinematography capturing the lush African mountainsides and a moving score, and the ingredients for a very good film are all nicely combined into a delicious mixture.