The major flaw of this movie, which struck me after the first 20 minutes is that it is somehow artificial. This could be due largely to the direction, which somehow almost never really got a grip on the movie.There was something relaxed about the actors, which didn't quite fit the sad and serious subject. And Jodie Foster was definitely miscast here. She inspires determination, self-confidence and ...feminism, so how the h*** could she be right for the part of a feral child? Sure, her acting is great, but why cast her in such a role? It's like casting Julia Roberts as a brain surgeon or Jessica Lange as Margaret Thatcher. And the that end speech by Nell in the court room...pleeeaassseee. The feral child suddenly turns into a moralizing philosopher? What the heck was that? Apparantely Jodie Foster did her homework playing a feral child quite well, despite her miscast, but the writer and director were so keen to deliver a final touching scene, that they forgot all about realism there. The outcome of the movie is also fairy-tale material. And the movie is somehow very unbalanced in its elements (story, acting,direction,dialog). The three points I'm giving is for some really touching scenes, but overall it is below average.