The second over-dramatic change of heart was my clue. I might have believed what was going on before; that second huge change of heart, however, and coupled with a “it’s my turn” feeling made me believe that nothing I’d seen was real. If movies are the deliberate suspension of disbelief, you have failed. I left A Normal Family a true disbeliever.
Jae-wan (Sol Kyung-gu) and Jae-gyu (Jang Dong-gun) are brothers. He’s a doctor; he’s a lawyer; they’re detectives. Seriously, Jae-wan is the kind of lawyer who helps get big shots out of trouble; Jae-gyu is the kind of doctor who actually cares. Awww. Every week, these two and their wives, Yeon-kyung (Kim Hee-ae) as Ji-su (Claudia Kim) get together for dinner and act at each other.
These folks all have kids … and the kids are failed human beings. In a confusing set of scenes, the kids end up having a scuffle with a homeless man. The homeless man dies, and responsibility for the death just hangs in the wind while the kids and their parents decide what to do.
There is a distinct disconnect between generations which gives this film a River’s Edge feel. Such is exacerbated by the teen’s private callousness about the situation. Unlike River’s Edge, however, this film is about the adults and their weekly dinner party of shame.
Most of this film is parents deciding upon the fate of their children. A Normal Family invites big quest
ions like: assuming the children are guilty, what does justice look like here? What does fairness look like? And is turning a blind eye helpful or hurtful in the long run? These are not easily answered questions. However, whenever a character tries to discuss them, acting happens.
You know how at certain social discussions where the group is arranged in a circle there might be a talking stick? The rules are simple: you can’t talk unless you’re holding the stick.
This is a talking stick film. Or should I say, “acting stick.”
Oh, the stick is invisible, but nevertheless there is clearly a feeling of, “it’s my turn to act!” And then the next actor gets up to deliver their would-be Oscar performance while another waits on-deck. The dramatic flip in positions and biding time until this actor has the talking stick are dead giveaways. A Normal Family is an acting workshop film. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that; the acting quite good, but the whole idea behind great film is to notice the earnestness of the character rather than the quality of the acting.
There once were two parents of teens
Who lived by immodest means
They worked by day
In public slaving away
But over dinner, they became drama queens
Not Rated, 116 Minutes
Director: Jin-ho Hur
Writer: Herman Koch
Genre: Acting!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People that buy the drama
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “This is just an acting workshop in film form”
