407. A Perfectly Normal Family (En helt almindelig familie); movie review
A PERFECTLY NORMAL FAMILY (EN HELT ALMINDELIG FAMILIE)
Cert TBA
93 mins
BBFC advice: TBA
It doesn't seem that long ago that transgender people were an extreme rarity. Thankfully, we now live in societies in which people are more confident in being themselves.
However, while this is to be encouraged, we should not forget that big decisions tend to affect more than one person.
Malou Reymann's A Perfectly Normal Family focuses on 11-year-old Emma (Kaya Toft Loholt) after her dad goes through (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) transition.
And both Mrs W and I found our hearts going out to the young girl who is forced to accept new normality.
Little wonder that Reymann's film had a powerful ring of credibility because there is a heavy slice of autobiography.
During the movie, Emma and her dad are seen to be tight with a common bond of football obsession. Indeed, she is the star of her local team and dad is a regular on the sidelines.
In common with almost every happy child, she wants things to go on just as they are with a stable home life.
Thus, her world is thrown upside down when she is told that not only are her parents divorcing but her dad is becoming a woman.
The key to her lack of acceptance is the speed at which decisions appear to be made without any consultation with her or her sister (Rigmor Ranthe).
The latter is three years older so has a greater maturity in handling the new scenario, even when their dad says 'call me Agnete'.
The problem, as Mrs W and I saw it, is that Agnete is completely ignorant of the fall-out on her younger daughter.
Indeed, on occasions, it is difficult to tell who has a more childish mentality.
This becomes particularly evident when the three go on holiday and Agnete denies that she is a football fan, cutting a precious bond with her daughter and goes topless in the sea without talking to her about it first.
Such carelessness towards Emma's feelings has a very negative effect on her and was so blatant it prompted Mrs W and me to gasp in disbelief.
And we couldn't help wondering whether Reymann's movie reflects badly on those who go through gender reassignment.
Honestly, we couldn't believe they would all be this selfish.
Perhaps we shouldn't look so deeply. This may simply be a one-off telling of a director's story. It is one which has huge frustrations but she tells well.
Her efforts are helped by an excellent cast.
Reasons to watch: An unusual and thought-provoking family scenario
Reasons to avoid: The selfishness grated
Laughs: Two
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Very briefly
Overall rating: 7/10
The final word. Malou Reymann: "Just five years ago, when I would tell people about my dad, it was still viewed as something strange. Now, I am hearing: Right, my friend also transitioned. There are so many personal references to the subject that until very recently was just so obscure. It certainly made it easier to even start thinking about making this film – not just for me, but also my family."
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