Charlie Kaufman's unconventional worldview is
once again in evidence in this powerful satirical exploration of a
civilization that idealizes both nature and culture. A philosophical
burlesque about an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist, and their
discovery—a man raised in the wild.
Human Nature marks Michel Gondry's feature film debut. He
has directed the videos for Bjork since 1993, as well as videos for The
Rolling Stones, Beck, Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Foo Fighters, Lenny
Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Cibbo Matto, and the White Stripes, among others.
Produced by Anthony Bregman and Ted Hope of Good Machine, along with
Spike Jonze and Kaufman, the cast includes Patricia Arquette (Lila),
Rhys Ifans (Puff), Miranda Otto (Gabrielle), Tim Robbins (Nathan),
Robert Forster (Nathan's Dad), Rosie Perez (Louise), and Mary Kay Place
(Nathan's Mom).
In the interview, Kaufman reveals, in his trademark style, how he wrote his first screenplay post-Being John Malkovich
"without the shackles of portals or head invasions," detailed accounts
of his inspiration for the distinctive characters, including the
trainer who teaches elk to tap dance and influenced Nathan's character,
and his approach to writing dialogue ("Because Puff was so naive and
childlike at first, it gave me the opportunity to write really direct,
basic, emotionally-clean lines, like 'I am Puff.'")
In the acclaimed Newmarket Shooting Script® series format, the book
contains a facsimile of the shooting script, an interview with writer
Charlie Kaufman, a 16-page color still insert, and full cast and crew
credits.
Charlie Kaufman's first produced screenplay was Being John Malkovich. He also wrote the screenplay for Adaptation, starring Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep.
