A crow hunts two white mice in a forest. It is nature in action: the desperate rodents race through the underbrush, while their tormentor swoops through the air in hot, confident pursuit.


Then the bird slams into a tree. End of chase.



� And the beginning of Human Nature, the clever, colorful new comedy from Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) and celebrated French music video and commercial director Michel Gondry, making his feature debut. A hilarious inquiry into the welter of instincts and desires that drive us, Human Nature follows the interplay between an abnormally hirsute author, a repressed behaviorist, a feral young man and a breathy French research assistant. Making the most of its rich premise, the film wittily spoofs sentimental representations of pristine nature while offering an inspired take on the Wild Man myth. Human Nature balances its narrative and visual ingenuity with genuine empathy for its comically tormented characters, grounding itself in the deft and soulful performances of its stars, Patricia Arquette, Tim Robbins, Rhys Ifans and Miranda Otto.