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North of Normal film image, director Carly Stone

North of Normal

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Adapting Cea Sunrise Person’s beloved memoir for the big screen, Carly Stone (The New Romantic) brings both compassion and energy to this tale of a young woman’s bid to come of age while living with a mother experiencing arrested development.

Having spent her early years in a wilderness commune founded in the 1970s by her anti-establishment grandfather Dick (Robert Carlyle), Cea (initially River Price-Maenpaa, then Amanda Fix) is forced to shed her alternative upbringing and acclimatize to civilization when her mother, Michelle (Sarah Gadon), tires of Dick’s chauvinistic reign. Granted, this doesn’t keep Michelle from careening between bad romances as she and Cea carve out a nomadic existence.

Adorning every scene with enticing period details, Stone ensures that Gadon and Fix’s exceptional performances serve as her film’s foundation. Detailing the humour and heartbreak that come from family dysfunction, North of Normal derives engrossing drama from the difficult decisions these women must make to survive and thrive.

 

Q&A Oct 5

 

Presented by

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Director
Cast

Sarah Gadon, James D’Arcy, Amanda Fix, River Price-Maenpaa, Benedict Samuel, Robert Carlyle

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2022

Language

English

18+
90 min
Drama Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits

Executive Producer

Joel Reilly, Patrick Patterson, Sarah Gadon, Rob Connolly, Michael Risley, Adrian Love, Noah Segal, Berry Meyerowitz, Jeff Sackman

Producer

Kyle Mann, Jonathan Bronfman

Screenwriter

Alexandra Weir

Cinematography

David Jones

Editor

Orlee Buium

Production Design

Alexis DeBad

Original Music

Electric Youth

Director

Carly Stone headshot, North of Normal director

Carly Stone

Carly Stone is a filmmaker from Toronto. She wrote and directed The New Romantic, which premiered in the Narrative Competition at SXSW 2018, where it won Special Jury Recognition for Best First Feature. She has also written on CBC’s award-winning comedy Kim’s Convenience. She graduated from the American Film Institute in 2014.

Filmography: The New Romantic (2018)