Normal is drama love story that deals with a solid foundation of a married couple which became complicated after the husband (Tom Wilkinson) confess that he believes that he was a woman that is just trapped in a man's body. I personally think that this film is very realistic, it showed how this gender identity problem can occurred even to normal people, couple and families. As for this film, Roy and Irma portrayed a very loving and religious couple, who would have thought that this kind of problem can possible happen even to almost perfect couple after more than two decades of being together. In this film, the gender identity problem was the main conflict but as you get to watch the film up to the latter part, you will realize that it's not only about the gender problem, it's more on acceptance and love for each other. It showed that no matter the circumstances, Irma accepted Roy for who he is and who he wanted to be, she loved him and supported him all the way until Roy eventually felt the self- satisfaction he always wanted. Overall this film was an awesome piece, a very touching and inspiring story for all the couple out there who are going through this tough situation in life.

The storyline of Normal is innovative, and it is certainly a good film. The acting is fantastic, so I could enjoy watching the film. I think this film is different from other genre's film since acting is vivid and the storyline is unique. Although the issue in the film is a little heavy, some of the scenes in the film use a lighter way to portray it. The way of how Ruth tells his co-worker that he is going do the sex operation is amusing; therefore, mood of the film is consider not too heavy. Also, the make- up and costumes of Ruth is very natural for me. Ruth might be considering as transvestite before doing the sex-change operation; however, Ruth's make- up and costume is not too exaggerated. As a result, the film deserved the Emmy Award (Make Up). In my opinion, the theme of the film is love, and people can overcome many difficult situations by the power of love. Also, family stands an extremely important influence in everyone's life. Irma's love and support for Ruth illustrates love can actually overcome the difficulties in your life. I think this film is appealing to everyone since the mood in the film is light.

This is an incredible powerful movie regarding unconditional love,acceptance and responsibility for ourself and our loved ones. Roy and Irma are a middle class couple with one rebellious adult son and a quick minded teenager daughter. They are a pillar of their small community and active in the local church. During the celebration of their 25th marriage anniversary Roy passes out. The couple go for counseling advice to their pastor. Roy admits that for several years has been struggling against the desire to became a woman because he feels entrapped in a man's body. Irma is flabbergasted and ask Roy to leave the house. Roy goes ahead with his plan to become a female with courage enduring the taunts of his colleagues at work,the bitter irony of his son and the ostracism of his congregation. However Irma eventually ask him to go back living with her and help him in his journey to become Ruth giving him advice and support and acceptance. When the pastor tell her that she is free to divorce Roy she simply says"" Leave him?He is my hearth!!The final moving scene is the night before the sex change operation when Irma hugs Roy and ask him to see his male body nude for the very last time.

Tom Wilkinson has been hiding a very big secret from the world. Husband and father, during a marriage counseling visit with his local pastor, he comes out with the fact that inside he feels he was born a woman. That comes as a big shock to his wife of 25 years, Jessica Lange, and their minister, Randall Arney.This revelation is quite a blockbuster for everyone all around. These are blue collar people, not terribly sophisticated and not well read into the world of transgender. Still most try to cope as best they can.Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange give a pair of beautifully matched performances in Normal. Wilkinson is a decent man, a good husband and father, a good provider, who can't keep up the pretense any more. He starts to transition into a woman, but stays at home to be the parent to young Hayden Panettiere who is just entering puberty. In fact with the estrogen treatments that Wilkinson is taking is almost like him going through puberty a second time with his own daughter.Lange is the housewife and mother, she does not in fact work, but during the course of the film does take a job for her own income. Her reaction is to castigate Wilkinson, but also to blame herself and in fact her pastor says something like that to her. His only solution is to come up with some scripture from Ephesians that he says covers the situation. Something about emasculating her man.Arney is an interesting character, transgender is not something taught at the seminary. He's trying to figure it out, but can only think and operate from a very narrow framework. Eventually Wilkinson and Lange leave the church, a most gut wrenching experience for both since they are sincere Christians. The key scene in this film is during a family reunion at Thanksgiving when Wilkinson's father, who's suffering from the beginnings of Alzheimer's. There is a deep focus shot of Wilkinson in the foreground as dad, Richard Bull, is talking about how as a kid with five daughters he was worried about having an effeminate son when he caught him trying on his mother's clothes. Bull relates he beat his son to get the effeminacy out of him.. The shot then switches to a closeup of Lange and it's worth more than ten pages of dialog as she now knows this is not either some whim of her husband's nor anything that is her fault. Excellent camera work and acting, especially for a TV movie.Although they are married and stay married, my guess is that at some point Wilkinson and Lange will part amicably. During the film in fact she does begin an affair with her husband's boss, Clancy Brown. My guess is that though she does love Wilkinson very much, Lange will miss the physical intimacy of marriage.Someone did some good research into transgender issues. There is a brief scene with Wilkinson trying to talk in a higher register now that he's transitioning. One thing I've learned from transgender friends is that one's vocal cords are set for life in puberty when one is male. There are vocal techniques to talk lower, but they have to be learned and presumably Wilkinson will learn them. People who are born female will have their vocal cords thicken with the testosterone treatmentThere are very few people that out and out hate the man for transitioning to female. He does get some hate graffiti on his truck and he does get into a fight with one of his co-workers. Mostly they just can't understand. Interesting that Hayden Panettiere reports no problems in school with peers over her dad. It's sometimes the case that the young are the most tolerant indeed.Normal is a sensitive treatment of transgender issues with some fine performances and a good story with no real ending in sight for this family.