Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People (2016)

In the heart-stirring documentary, Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People, we delve into the remarkable tale of Koko, the world's sole 'conversational' gorilla, and her enduring bond with Penny Patterson. Initiated as a PhD project aimed at teaching sign language to a baby gorilla, Project Koko morphed into a profound connection as Koko started to communicate and build an emotional bridge with Penny. Over the course of four decades, Penny has walked alongside Koko, claiming that Koko's interactions offer rare glimpses into the labyrinth of an animal's mind. This engaging narrative, captured meticulously through the lens of a camera, chronicles over 2,000 hours of pivotal moments in Koko's life. From Penny's impassioned struggle to prevent Koko's return to her birthplace - the zoo, to her showdown with academic skeptics questioning her assertions, and the poignant sight of Koko grieving over her kitten's demise, every scene is captured with profound intimacy. Penny is convinced that Koko’s communication transcends the boundaries of simple language, expressing complex emotions, including a yearning for a baby gorilla of her own. The empathy Koko engenders transforms people’s perceptions toward the entire animal kingdom. This film is not just a chronicle of an extraordinary scientific endeavor evolving into an unexpected love story, but a journey of discovery. It makes us question: does the communication between Koko and Penny shed more light on the emotional depth of animals, or does it mirror our own emotional complexity? This is the intriguing question that Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People poses, beckoning us to explore and learn from this extraordinary interspecies relationship.

Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People is a documentary movie featuring Bertie Carvel and directed by Jonathan Taylor.

It is possible to buy Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People on Amazon Video.