Normal

Normal clearly marks filmmaker Carl Bessai’s stab at a multi-storied drama, somewhere along the lines of Magnolia or Short Cuts, but unlike those efforts there’s never the feeling that the various plotlines are building towards something spectacular. Instead, Bessai has populated Normal with a series of characters and arcs that would seem more at home within a soap opera (eg a troubled youth has an affair with his stepmother, a grieving mother can’t let go of her dead son, etc) and there’s consequently a vibe of randomness that pervades throughout the majority of the film’s overlong running time. And while some of this stuff is admittedly kind of interesting, Kevin Zegers’ turn as the aforementioned troubled youth is clearly a highlight, it becomes increasingly difficult to care about the overwrought problems of these broadly-conceived characters. The performances are fine, undoubtedly, but it’s ultimately impossible to view Normal as anything other than a well-intentioned misfire (the finale, presumably meant to provide a cathartic release for both the characters and the viewer, is particularly disappointing).

** out of ****