Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange give very memorable performances. But, the episodic nature in which the small-town intolerance unfolds, and the sacrosanct way the director shields the principals, together make this seem like a clinical documentary warning the transsexual what she will encounter. In many ways, it tried so hard not to be exploitative, it was too sanitized. Clancy Brown's character was internally inconsistent and too charicatured. I was engrossed enough to watch, but found too many scenes too tough to swallow. This is as well-meaning a slice-of-life film as you'd ever want to see, but it's simply too distant to engage.
Review of Normal
