Having worked in the field of Psychology in both research and clinical work, the Rendezvous with Madness film festival is one that always piques my interest. The films showcased at this festival include artistic and experimental pieces. This year the festival is focusing on the issue of “what is normal” and how do we define such term.

I had the chance to attend the opening gala of Carl Bessai’s film Normal, which also screened at this year’s TIFF. The cast did a really good job in portraying distraught individuals, each dealing with a different type of chaos. In the RWM program book, this film was compared to Babel by Alejandro González Iñárritu, in that it involves several stories that are all connected by a single incident — a vehicle accident in which a young man dies.

The stories include the young man’s mother and how the family is dealing with his death. We also meet the man who was driving the car that night and his autistic brother. Next we meet another young man, a friend of the teen who died, who has just come out of jail for stealing the car that was in the accident. Needless to say, they are all going through some changes and they are not doing too great. What is also important to note is that all of these individuals come from a middle, upper-middle class. They live in comfortable homes with all the perks but their lives are still pretty empty. Like director Bessai stated after the film, the only one who has somewhat of a rich life is that autistic man (Dennis).

The film was filmed in Victoria, B.C. which makes for a nice background, since all the homes are so nice and the vistas just gorgeous. In the Q&A session after the film, Bessai contrasted the film to Crash (another film which involves several related stories) except for its pacing. The pacing of the film is quite relaxed; giving us enough time to get to know the different characters. The actors involved in the project all play the roles convincingly; especially, Carrie-Anne Moss, who plays the mother who’s lost her teenage son. Her grief is very palpable. All in all, the film works on all levels — the story is fluid; the cast delivers and the setting is also well chosen. It does make us wonder what is normal… Is having an amazing house, a successful career all that is needed to have a “happy, normal” life? Of course, most of us know that isn’t the truth. However, people often put on a facade to make others believe their lives are all right. It’s like Bessai said, “it’s a social mask… and we can’t always wear it.” This is no different from issues that relate to mental health and the stigma associated with them. What is important to keep in mind is that we all have issues and difficulties in life… the grief of a young life lost, a career that isn’t fulfilling, dysfunctional familes; some of us just have other issues besides this, like dealing with an illness — visible or not. Thus, what is normal is really not so easy to define. This film and others at RWM will definitely challenge us to think outside the “norm.”