A Perfectly Normal Family - REVIEW - Sydney Film Festival 2020
Exploring Transition Through The Eyes Of An 11 Year Old
If you haven’t been paying attention to the news of the day recently then you may not have heard the latest controversy surrounding the author of the extremely popular book series Harry Potter, J.K Rowling. To boil it down to a sentence Rowling made some comments online stating Trans women were not women, which made a lot of people angry; and rightly so. For a full breakdown of the controversy and responses check out Glamour’s article here. I thought it was particularly timely and important following this news to watch the next film on my Sydney Film Festival list. A Perfectly Normal Family is the story of 11-year-old Emma whose perfectly “normal” family is turned upside down when her father comes out as transgender. The film was based on debut feature director Malou Reymann’s real-life experiences with her own father as a child and seeks to tell a personal story of a family navigating this change together.
The film focuses specifically on the relationship between the youngest daughter Emma and her transitioning father Agnete. A complicated relationship that is heightened through one of the most visually interesting scenes of the film. At a family therapy session, Emma wraps a scarf around her head intent not to see her father as a woman. The camera places the head-wrapped Emma in the centre of the frame and switches back and forth between a left and right angle of the shot. The adults that talk are blurred in the background placing emphasis on Emma cementing the idea that the story is about her experience. It also provides a levity to the serious subject matter being discussed which was a nice way to relieve tension.
And this film was never about going to a dark place. It was real and there were moments of drama like in most family’s lives, but I never felt bogged down in the subject matter. It did make me question why people care so much about gender in the first place and why the same amount of importance is not placed on who we are as people. Whilst the story itself was clearly a personal journey you cannot ignore that it touches on issues of transgender discrimination and nonacceptance that are present within society as a whole. Yet these issues were almost the subtext of the film with the forefront being family dynamics. In a way, this was a much more effective way to broach the conversation because it comes from a place of truth and lived experience.
The actor who plays Agnete, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, is not transgender in real life. Many films in the past have received backlash for casting cis actors in transgender roles such as Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club and castings of actresses like Scarlett Johansson and Elle Fanning as trans men. In a short interview with Director Malou Reymann after the film she mentioned her reasoning behind the casting decision was that she wanted to have the transition occur across the film with the father figure starting as male presenting to establish the shift from Emma’s perspective. With Reymann’s actual father’s blessing of the film it never really became an issue. Whilst it did cross my mind when watching her explanation the interview felt genuine and her decision understandable.
The film uses home footage style inserts of the family when the two daughters were toddlers to break up scenes and move through time. It’s not only a nice touch to the aesthetic of the film but to the story building of the father-daughter relationship showcasing how the dynamic has shifted through the transition. Overall there was some great camera work and combined with the realistic script and great performances, particularly from young actress Kaya Toft Loholt who plays Emma, the whole film was so natural and easy to watch.
A Perfectly Normal Family reminds us that we are all human and that navigating change, regardless of what that change might be, is a part of life and most definitely a part of being in a family. This compassionate, real, and at times heartbreaking story of a little girl learning to accept her father for who they are is something I think the world needs to see right now.