For those who are not tired of the machinations and manoeuvrings at the heart of Waystar Royco, the Ngogo rainforest and its Chimp Empire have plenty to offer in the way of power struggles and inter-familial conflict. Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali narrates this saga of two rival chimp troops in Uganda, known as the Centrallers and the Westerners. Over four beautifully filmed and dramatically charged episodes, we follow the two troops’ never-ending battle for territory, as well as exploring the complex personal relationships within the groups themselves.
It is directed by James Reed, who won an Oscar for the underwater weepie My Octopus Friend. Reed has spent time with the Ngogo chimps before, for the 2017 film Rise of the Warrior Apes, but that was before they split off into two rival groups. Now, the dangers are more grave, and the lower-stakes storylines heaving with portent. The Central group, the largest ever recorded, has the ageing Jackson as its alpha, though there are younger, hungrier chimps biding their time, waiting for any weaknesses to make themselves apparent.
