My Normal

At the beginning, I was a little worried at it's independent film qualities, but quickly realized it had quality actors, writer's, and directors. I'm sure it was way before it's time back in 2009, but it's time has definitely come!

Natalie works as a S&M dominatrix in New York. Her mother complains that she's wasting her psychology degree. She wants to be a filmmaker. She befriends the local weed delivery dealer Noah and starts dating Jasmine. When she finally gets on a movie set, it's in an underwhelming experience. She uses her unusual talent to make her movie a reality.

Despite the edgy shell of the lesbian dominatrix world, the interior is nothing too dramatic. The story is thin and short. There are a couple of interesting ideas and scenes. Nicole LaLiberte and Ty Jones are functional actors. There is simply not enough meat on the bones. This needs more work on the script if it intends to be a full feature.

Love? Or women? Or I guess individuals in general. I am not really into what the main character is doing professionally. That being said, the way it is portrayed and the way she plays it, are really well done. 50 shades of Grey could learn a thing or two from this - no pun intended.

One of the major downfalls however is the story of her new lover. Yes there is a theme of lesbian love to say the least. But much more than just that "taste", if you want to call it that. This will not be for the easily offended and those who are triggered by the smallest things probably shouldn't watch at all. There is not so much viscerally to see here, but just when things are being said ... well even I felt sick to my stomache on certain things - imagine those things being played out ... not saying if they are actually.

So back to the love interest who has a really tough role to fill - not well written and quite cliche to say the least. And a lot of drama that feels more than unnecessary - on the other hand, we all deal in different ways about certain things ... so not saying it is unlikely for someone to feel that way ... just saying it is not playing out well - or shown in a fashion that works for the movie ... it kinda puts it down ... no pun intended.

Test your limits, if you like independent movies, with strong female leads that don't really care, what is what ... well not entirely caring that is.

I saw this movie in high school and it inspired me to become a dominatrix. It's one of my favorite movies. It became more relatable the further I got into being a Pro Domme. It so accurate to the lifestyle. And I love the way it is portrayed. The family life. The different girls and their relationships. Sitting around the dungeon. The relationship with subs. Being close friends with the connect. The fact that so many dominatrices are lesbian stoners. Ugh. It's a classic and I show it to as many people as I can. And it's so so wonderfully 2000s.

It's got a wonderful low budget vibe. I can tell that the people working on it love the story and that the writer, in a fourth wall breaking full circle way, knows the lifestyle very well.

Normal for Natalie (Nicole LaLiberté) is working as a dominatrix, fulfilling men's sexual fantasies, and hanging out with her lesbian co-workers going to shady bars and wearing risqué clothes. The film's title and description makes it sound like it's about Natalie's struggle to get her "normal" in line with society's "normal" as she adjusts to a more customary job in the film industry. Instead, I found it just to be a highlight reel for her lifestyle.

What I liked about "My Normal" is that they aspired to make an original film, they refused to be pigeon-holed by what society deems as acceptable, and the main actress Nicole LaLiberté was great. LaLiberté was incredibly sexy and is likely to become a formidable actress. The film would have been served better if they were able to compare normal for me with Natalie's normal, and showing her having real struggles juggling a more customary lifestyle with her dominatrix one, rather than just the cliché "my girlfriend doesn't love me anymore" drama. These filmmakers appear to be smart enough to recognize that 20-something women do concern themselves with more than just their love life, so they should have showed me that.

"My Normal" more than lives up to its R-rating. If you didn't get enough erotic lesbian sex scenes in "Black Swan", you'll find them here. Another positive for the film is that it shares "Black Swan"'s striking makeup and costumes. It is definitely not for the conservative film-viewer, but "My Normal" might be worth a look for those who like female erotica in edgy films that try to redefine "normal".