Normal

When it comes to thrillers/noirs, there are two school of thought: the Philippe Marlowe, crime in the naked city type or the rat in the maze type. Czech filmmaker Julius Ševčík's Normal shares more in common with Dark City or The Third Man than The Maltese Falcon or Double Indemnity. The film is gorgeously shot. The old world environment complete with narrow cobbled streets, dim wrought iron lamps, and a city dominated by a central feature like a castle or church heavily contribute to the aesthetic. Conveniently, the old eastern block lends itself to this type of film as the production design certainly did not have to travel too far into history to find the appropriate look: dark wool coats, integrated fender sedans, porcelain tubs, soldiers in authoritarian-styled uniforms, and huddled masses.

From what can be gathered from the trailer, the young, male protagonist seems to be seeking truth amidst a world or perhaps his own sense of reason, that is gradually deteriorating. The official pitch is that this young man is a lawyer defending a serial killer. Even more amazingly, this is a fictional account of the life of a man named Peter Kürten, a German serial killer dubbed The Vampire of Düsseldorf, as told by this young lawyer. The air around the protagonist is thick with intense gazes that could reveal ulterior motives. Certainly the more he peels away the veil surrounding the killer and his crimes, he could plunge further into a much deeper darkness than that of the late night streets featured in the trailer. And, I am not sure how famous actor Milan Kňažko (Kürten) is in his home country, but the wrinkles-dare I say cracks-on his tight-lipped face are perfect for the high contrast lighting being employed; he's a Sin City character without prosthetics!



With the title as it is, questions certainly abound and finding out what it all means is why these kinds of films, when executed well, will always have a place in cinemas. The film was released in March, so I hope it will be picked up for distribution wherever you live.