Parents' Guide to

Norman

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Affecting drama about terminal illness has mature themes.

Movie R 2014 98 minutes
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Kids say (1):

This poignant drama grapples with a complex set of issues -- devastating loss and terminal illness -- against the backdrop of the usual anxieties of high school life and young love. It's incredibly well acted and very touching and has a wiser-than-his-years protagonist who excellently conveys the burden and isolation that come from managing excessively traumatic events at a young age. The film should be commended for tackling all the gray areas and nuance of suffering -- the unresolvable feelings, the ambiguities, the rights of the dying to exit as they desire -- while still showing the innocence and lightheartedness of teenage firsts (helped along by indie darling Andrew Bird's original score). But the loss of both parents, the discussions of how to live at age 18 newly orphaned, the complexities of grieving and loss -- these are big questions without easy answers, and parents may want to stick close by for any discussion that arises.

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