In 1973, a baby chimpanzee named Nim Chimpsky became the subject of an unusual experiment to see if a chimpanzee raised like a human child could learn to use language. Nim successfully learned dozens of signs, but when he became aggressive, he was passed among several teachers and caregivers—some kind, some casual, some downright abusive. By turns comical and sad, this award-winning 2011 documentary from the director of the riveting Man on Wire chronicles the chimp’s strange and surprising odyssey. Thursday, Dec. 20, at 9 p.m., HBO
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