Review of Koko: A Talking Gorilla

One of the risks you take in documentary filmmaking (specifically in "message" documentaries) is that your message might become outdated as humanity advances. The documentary Koko, a Talking Gorilla seems to fall right in this trap. It is, ostensibly, about a team of researchers and an amazing, sign language learning ape. These scenes - the always interesting, often bizarre sometimes unsettling interactions between humans and Koko the Gorilla are timelessly fascinating. Quite simply, Koko is one of the more remarkable characters in documentary history. Its when her handlers get involved that things become a bit muddled. Watching their approach to training Koko is fascinating but the film often takes extended breaks to philosophically wax about environmentalism and the Koko experiment representing man melding with nature while the evil zoo requests that Koko be returned so she can live with actual gorillas. The movie is problematic because it seems to approach its core relationship with a very biased lens. It does mention that Koko is getting a diet entirely unsuitable for a primate but never only really explores the surface of whether or not Koko's training is indeed good for Koko. Still, despite it underwhelming themes, it is a truly fascinating watch.