Nell (1994)

This was an odd sort of film.
Violet Kellty is a recluse, a woman who has no interaction with others. When she dies, people are shocked to discover that she had a daughter, Nell (Jodie Foster) of whom no record exists. Nell is primitive, and because of her mother's stroke, she speaks English with a speech impediment, so no one can truly understand her. Dr. Jerry Lovell (Liam Neeson) is the one who discovers her and he wants her to stay where she is, as she can function properly with minimal interaction with others. On the other hand, specialist Dr. Paula Olson (Natasha Richardson), has other ideas, believing that because this is so rare, a true wild person, that she should be in the hospital so she can be cared for and observed.
So they both camp out and observe her. Jerry camps out while Paula has a whole houseboat and has set up video cameras to watch her constantly.
Eventually, Paula does come around to Jerry's more primal way of watching her, starting to understand her language and learned that she had an identical twin who died in an accident. They also try and teach her that men aren't the enemy, as Nell's mother most likely became pregnant from a rape. They slowly start to introduce her to the outside world and she intimates what others do, which doesn't always work out well.
Unfortunately, the press discovers her and she is taken to a hospital but she shuts down, refusing to open her mouth at all which means that the doctors make a false diagnosis. And now, once again, the courts need to decide.
For whatever reason, Nell understands and gets Jerry to translate for her. Though she is simple, and doesn't know as much as others, she believes that she can truly see people. She wants to do things in her own way.
And she does. Throughout the film, their is some odd sexual tension between Paula and Jerry, and as the sequel five years later, they are married with a young child. It is a birthday party for Nell. She can speak some normal English and a few townspeople are there to celebrate. Nell may have a simple life and will probably never have the things that everyone else will have, but she is happy in her own way.
The film is interesting, with fine performances, especially Foster, who delivers a minimalist performance, she received an Oscar nomination for this role and was great. Neeson and Richardson master American accents and are also great. Ironically, they would get married not long after filming wrapped up. I liked the film, though it was sort of predictable and the final court scene was hard to understand. But the rustic, realistic setting and performances carry the film. It is also interesting to see the old computers and how searches were done before the world wide web. Grade: A-