If you never heard of Dian Fossey, Michael Apted’s Gorillas in the Mist makes a great introduction to her work in studying and protecting the mountain gorillas in Africa in the ‘60s. For those who are familiar with Fossey’s name and work, the movie keeps the inspiration aflame.
Sigourney Weaver plays Dian Fossey, American conservationist with a fascination for mountain gorillas. She gets funding for studying the big beast’s behavior in Africa, which means nothing short of her dream coming true. As she follows and observes families of gorillas in the mountains of Congo and later in Rwanda, cultural barriers, personal relationships, and government policies stand in her way. How far will she go and at what cost to follow her passion?
Being a biographical drama, Fossey’s character dominates the story of Gorillas in the Mist. The transformation of her character is visible as her role from a curious observer of primate behavior changes over the course of her journey to a fierce defender of the species that becomes her family rather than a passive subject of her research. Her romantic relationship with National Geographic photographer Bob Campbell (Bryan Brown) integrates into her journey as a boost but eventually a challenge when it comes to choosing between starting a family or staying with her extended family of gorillas.
Gorillas in the Mist is a naturalist’s movie with its breathtaking cinematography of the gorillas’ serene natural habitat with contrasting scenes of local towns with noisy and swarmed market areas. For animal advocates and lovers of animal-themed movie (primates in particular), Gorillas in the Mist touches the heart as much as it pleases the eye. But the movie has quite a few scenes of violence toward animals so hold tight as you witness moments of human cruelty and Fossey’s fight to protect her primate friends.
