I saw Normal (on 35mm) at its U.S. premiere during SXSW 2026, and it’s the kind of film that feels like it’s quietly sizing viewers up before deciding how far it’s going to go. Directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Bob Odenkirk, it opens with a sense of stillness that feels almost deceptive. The town itself appears frozen in time, and the 35mm presentation adds a worn, tactile quality that makes everything feel just slightly off. The audience gets the sense early on that something beneath the surface isn’t going to stay contained.
Odenkirk portrays Sheriff Ulysses as someone trying to keep things steady, even when it’s clear that stability isn’t really an option. His presence carries a quiet tension, like he’s holding things together out of habit rather than confidence. As the story develops, small details begin to accumulate—strange behaviors, uneasy interactions, and a growing feeling that the town operates by its own rules. Once events start to unravel, they don’t slow down or look back, and the film shifts into something far more intense than it initially hints at.
There’s no effort to make any of this feel realistic, and that actually benefits it. The violence is over the top, the situations are unlikely, and the escalation nears the absurd, but it all feels deliberate rather than sloppy. The film seems less focused on plausibility and more on maintaining momentum, pushing each moment just a little further than expected. That constant sense of moving forward keeps it engaging, even when it ventures into territory that shouldn’t work on paper.
The ensemble cast plays a crucial role in keeping everything grounded. Henry Winkler provides a strange, unpredictable presence as the mayor, while Lena Headey adds a quiet intensity as the barkeep. Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan, Brendan Fletcher, and Reena Jolly all help create a world that feels off-balance but stays consistent within its own rules. There’s a shared understanding across the performances that allows the film to reach its limits without falling apart completely.
Visually, the film emphasizes contrast. Cinematographer Armando Salas captures the cold, open spaces in a way that makes the bursts of action feel even more jarring. The environment doesn’t soften anything — it simply remains stark and unmoving, while everything else spirals out of control. That visual restraint helps prevent the film from becoming visually chaotic, even when the story pushes into extremes.
The Q&A added something extra to the experience. Hearing Odenkirk and the team talk about the film made it clear that the tone and direction weren’t accidental choices. There’s a confidence in how far the film goes, and that confidence carries through the entire runtime. It was also genuinely enjoyable seeing the cast and crew engage with the audience, especially after a film that leans so heavily into intensity.
Normal is wild, messy in spots, and completely ungrounded. At the same time, it’s captivating in a way that’s hard to ignore because it never hesitates or pulls back. It commits fully to what it’s doing, and that commitment is what finally makes it work.