Lead character Lila (Patricia Arquette) suffers from a hormonal mutation that causes thick hair to grow all over her body.

The problem leads her to shun the civilised world and go to live in a forest. There she finds consolation and comfort and eventually becomes a famous nature writer.

But back in the real world, she falls in love with a behavioural scientist, Nathan (Tim Robbins).

Nathan is a super-demanding person who is completely obsessive to the point where he can spend hours teaching white mice about table manners.

One day the couple set off on a hike and discover a human ape, Puff (Rhys Ifans) in a forest. Nathan ignores Lila's protests and insists on taking Puff back with him to experiment on. He tries hard to keep Puff's basic instincts under control.

Puff is simple, pure and in complete harmony with nature before Nathan gets his hands on him. But before long, the so-called civilised world makes him deceitful, decadent and depressive.

He teaches humans that they have become so arrogant and so focused on their pursuit of intellectual knowledge as power that they have forgotten to look to the earth as their teacher. Civilisation has given them power and intelligence - but human nature has been sadly neglected.

Purity and peace are non-existent, and the truth is that people don't respect the natural world.

Patricia Arquette and Rhys Ifans both give fantastic performances. This is a VCD definitely worth seeing. Not only is it thoroughly entertaining, but it offers a small insight into the human condition.

If you like movies with a magical twist, you will enjoy this film.