North of Normal

From the opening scene of North Normal, I felt drawn in and gently swept into this captivating movie with its' beautiful scenery and its' complex and endearing characters. I fell in love with Cea Person's books and I was excited and a little nervous to see how her story would be portrayed in film. This movie surpassed my expectations. I was blown away by the wonderful quality of acting and the artful cinematography. I laughed, cried and I came away with much to think about. The relationships and the sensitive subject matter were thoughtfully and creatively handled. It felt real, raw and yet, somehow, beautiful at the same time. My husband has not read Cea's books and he is more of an action/adventure movie guy. Amazingly, he was swept up in the viewing experience as much as I was! There was plenty of adventure to keep him involved and he found the dynamics between the main characters to be captivating and authentic. Bravo!

North of Normal will have you crying and laughing. Actually, the book & the movie will have you experiencing ALL emotions. Cea had a remarkable upbringing with tragedy & triumphs. You will swear the acting you are watching in the movie was playing out in real life before your eyes. You will want to hug every Cea and protect her. Everyone around you in the theatre will fade away. And that's what a great movie experience is all about. All of the actors did a fantastic job. From the moment the movie started, other than the laughter in spots, a hush fell across the packed theatre until the very end. After the movie, I had a couple conversations with people about the movie and the books. One in particular was with an older gentleman (before & after the movie) who loved the first book, but didn't know there was a second book. He was quite excited to go and purchase Nearly Normal & delve into that one. The only unfortunate part about the movie is there is never enough time to cover the entire book...Or maybe there is...do I hear sequel or maybe even threequel?! (LOL Is that a word?). My wish is for everyone near and far, big city or small town, is to get the chance to see this well written, directed and portrayed movie in person on the big screen. Love to every "Cea" in the world. <3.

This movie was so heartfelt, cinematically beautiful and engaging. I laughed, I cried and I totally connected with the protagonist. I love the way delved into the characters and showed every aspect of their world. As a lover of nature, the scenic shots of northern Canada were beautiful and they truly captured the essence of alternating living and mindsets. Though a lot of the story stems in tragedy there is an uplifting and captivating presence about Cea that always has me routing for her. This movie is Truly a MUST SEE if you love coming of age stories, nature and beautiful cinematic experiences.

Just saw the movie this evening and can't stop thinking about it. Same feeling when I read the book. The actors were perfect, and truly reflected what I envisioned each character to be like. Right from the beginning I was drawn in to the evolving relationship between Cea and her Mother. That bond was strong, but sadly not enough. I admired Cea's resilience, determination (and sense of humour) throughout and it was skillfully portrayed. The cinematography was also amazing and captured the essence of the story. Great music too! Looking forward to watching the movie again. And hope there will be a sequel.

North of Normal was and has been my favourite book since I read it a few years back and it's my number one go to book to recommend to anyone looking for a book recommendation. When I heard that it was going to be made into a film, I was ecstatic, when I found out it was being filmed in my hometown, I was over the moon with excitement. The movie followed the book well, the book I was able to paint the pictures of what was happening in my head, the movie brought those photos to life. It showed the struggles and the triumphs, the good and the bad, and I hope that it gets released to the general theatres for more people to be able to enjoy this beautiful movie. It will now be my go to book and movie. Hopefully they'll be able to make Nearly Normal the sequel one day too on film.