Review by Amos Lassen
Rating:
“My Normal”

Dreams and Life

Amos Lassen

Natalie (Nicole LaLiberte), a young lesbian, struggles to have her dream of becoming a filmmaker come true and in her spare time she works as a dominatrix to support herself. Many desire her services because of her unique exotic appearance and the techniques that she uses and he is one of the most in demand in the underground of Manhattan. Through various ways (becoming friendly with a marijuana dealer and a new love affair with a hot new woman), she gets an internship on a real movie set. It seems her life is coming together, on one hand but on the other hand, her life falling apart. She ultimately understands that if she really wants to turn her dreams into actuality, she must use her unique talents as a dominatrix to get exactly what she wants.

When the film begins, she and a couple of her friends and co-workers (Naama Kates and Maine Anders) are doing a little role-playing with Jim (Heath Kelts). We see Natalie has a regular life despite her profession as a sex worker. She doesn’t necessarily want to be a dominatrix all her life; she’s studying film and writing a screenplay with her neighbor/ganja dealer Noah (Ty Jones). She also has just met Jasmine (Dawn Noel Pignuola), a nice girl who is a bit uncomfortable with Natalie’s job.

Filmmakers aren’t particularly looking to take Natalie to task for the way she lives her life and this is one point for conflict in the film. Nicole LaLiberte’s appearance is so exotic that she is an actress who is not easy to forget. She acts with confidence and she does a fine job. This is not a great movie but it is a good one and director Irving Schwartz manages to give us an interesting film with good performances. “My Normal” could be a better film. The intentions of all are good and it is a noble start. I predict we will be seeing more from those involved in this film.