Normal (2007)
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0% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
43% of users liked it
(656 ratings)
The massive fences designed to protect the unhappy suburbanites who populate a posh Vancouver neighborhood from the outside world don't prove nearly as effective as the psychological barricades they erect following a tragic accident in director Carl Bessai's simmering small town drama. After… More The massive fences designed to protect the unhappy suburbanites who populate a posh Vancouver neighborhood from the outside world don't prove nearly as effective as the psychological barricades they erect following a tragic accident in director Carl Bessai's simmering small town drama. After popular high-school student Nick is killed in a drunk driving accident, all those touched by the tragedy gradually find their lives beginning to unravel. Nick's grieving mother Catherine (Carrie-Anne Moss) simply locks herself away in her son's room and refuses to permit anyone else entry into her chamber of sorrow. For those directly involved in the accident, the pain is almost too great to bear as well. When Nick's best friend Jordie (Kevin Zegers) -- who was driving the car at the time of the accident -- returns home from juvenile detention, his overbearing stepmother clings to him with every ounce of her energy as his domineering father makes the boy a target for his unchecked rage. But Nick's friends and family aren't the only ones whose lives have been torn asunder by the accident, because as the other driver -- a failed writer named Walt (Callum Keith Rennie) -- gradually falls into an alcoholic haze, his already troubled marriage continues to disintegrate as he becomes unable to provide his autistic brother with the attention he so desperately needs. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Carl Bessai
- Written By
- Carl Bessai, Travis McDonald
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
- In Theaters
- Sep 28, 2007 Wide
- Studio
- Bankside Media
Critic Reviews
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Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail
A predictable ride from the get-go.
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Philip Marchand, Toronto Star
[The unhappy characters] are not richly developed, but it seems characteristic of this genre to highlight one-dimensional individuals.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a well-intentioned misfire...
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Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
While the acting is often fine, the setting and storylines don't have enough depth to be original. . . . for all its smooth touches and sharp emotions, this Canadian film still [doesn't have] enough big-screen originality.
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Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
It's actually kind of depressing to watch good actors wasted in this fashion.
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Cast
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Carrie-Anne Moss
as Catherine
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Kevin Zegers
as Jordie
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Callum Keith Rennie
as Walt
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Andrew Airlie
as Dale
- Cameron Bright
- Tygh Runyan
- Camille Sullivan