NOVA: Secret of the Wild Child

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Starring: Nova
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Studio: WGBH Boston
Release Date: 2007-01-09
This documentary takes a look at a young girl named Genie who was completely secluded from the outside world by her parents. The program focuses on her rehabilitation at the hands of expert doctors.System Requirements:Running Time: 60 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 783421359895 Manufacturer No: WG35989

The fairest view of Genie yet
I've found this to be the most professional, fair-minded summary of Genie's story yet. The footage of Genie is fascinating, although I do wish there were more details about the results of the tests on her. I was disappointed to find that half the movie is about a different feral child named Viktor, but the parts that are about Genie are excellent.

A simply amazing story and one that tugs at the heart strings
In Los Angeles, California on November 4th, 1970, a young girl at 13 years old is rescued from her home by social workers. What they found was that she was isolated for a decade in a locked room and tied to a potty chair. She had virtually no human contact and no tactile interaction of any benefit and this helped to deprive her of any semblance of a normal life. In effect, she was underdeveloped, unable to communicate, she could barely walk and she exhibited many unusual behaviors. Due in part to a dysfunctional set of parents, it was difficult to get a proper history of all the horrible neglect that occurred here.

Eventually named `Genie' by the doctors and experts that worked with her at a children's hospital, so began a time of medical examination and analysis that lasted from about 1970 to 1975. During this time, Genie was, for lack of a better word, juggled between many people and environments in an effort to rehabilitate and heal her. At the end of this time period when these efforts were discontinued, Genie was shuffled between various foster homes which proved to be very detrimental in part because she was subjected to more abuse, punishment, and harassment in these different locations.

Because of additional difficulties caused by foster care, Genie was again returned to the children's hospital for further treatment. To compound an already fragile situation, Genie's mother filed a lawsuit against the many experts and the hospital that worked with her citing `excessive and outrageous testing'. This coming from an irresponsible and unconscionable parent that was, in part, responsible for this entire ordeal from the beginning. The suit was eventually settled out of court and Genie is currently a resident in a care home in California to this day.

`Secret of the Wild Child', although not very long, seems to do a credible job in detailing the known facts and events that played a significant impact in Genie's life after her rescue. There is a decent mix of interviews from various experts and a good portion of video footage showing Genie's therapy and rehabilitation and it makes for a worthwhile production in my opinion.

Important Lessons...
This is perhaps one of the most important stories in the field of Child Development. Not only does it illustrate a story of unimaginable child abuse and provide unparalleled insight into the effects of social isoloation on the psychological and mental development of humans, but it also reveals the darker side of science -- a part so driven by notoriety and money that it ends up abusing Genie over and over.

All students of psychology, child development, linguistics, social work, and related fields should see this program and get to know it intimately.

Good portrayal of a sensitve subject and fascinating one
I first became aware of the "Genie" story because the home where she was kept was a few blocks away from me in Temple City, CA. Her story was front page news in 1970 as more and more details came out about how she had never left her bedroom for her entire life, and how dysfunctional the family was. The father committed suicide less than a week after the headlines for hit.

The PBS documentary on Genie is excellent and must see for all psychology students, brain researchers, and anyone interested in the whole concept of how a child develops in the "wild".