Oct. 11, 2023: North of Normal

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023
7 pm @ Galaxy Cinemas, Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Director: Carly Stone
Canada 2022
English; 90 minutes
Rated: 14A

In the 1970s, hippie grandparents (Robert Carlyle and Janet Porter) leave the United States for the wilderness of Alberta and British Columbia with baby Cea and her teenage mother, Michelle (Sarah Gadon), in tow. With no alternative reference, Cea’s childhood feels normal, natural, and maybe even idyllic. That’s until Michelle tires of her father’s criticism and decides to remove herself and Cea from the community. Based on Cea Sunrise Person’s memoir, North of Normal is both tender and dark, honest and idealistic, beautifully capturing the joys and warmth, as well as the devastating failings, of an extraordinary family.

Stone has strong storytelling sensibilities, and has created a narrative experience that’s grounded in honesty, and never lacking in empathy. Wilson Kwong, Film Inquiry

Carlyle’s very good — direct, unsentimental, and graceful — in a role quite unlike anything he’s done before. Gadon, soulful and natural as ever, plays her character’s flaws and humanity in equal proportion. Jason Bailey, The Playlist

Given beautifully nuanced performances by Sarah Gadon and Amanda Fix, a vivid memory timeline, and visceral emotion, North of Normal feels genius, deep, and real. Anne Brodie, What She Said