By John Corrado

★★★ (out of 4)

The Canadian drama North of Normal is an adaptation of Cea Sunrise Person’s 2014 memoir of the same name, following her coming of age in the city after an unconventional upbringing in the Yukon wilderness with her free-loving teen mother (played in the film by Sarah Gadon).

The adapted screenplay by Alexandra Weir employs a criss-crossing narrative structure that presents these events out of order. The film cuts between Cea as a child (played by River Price-Maenpaa) being raised to live on the land, and as a young teenager (played by Amanda Fix) trying to pursue a career as a fashion model.

The sophomore film from Canadian director Carly Stone (The New Romantic), North of Normal serves as a well-acted portrait of her childhood and teenage years. A few aspects of the film do feel underdeveloped, with certain parts of the story being skimmed over. There was certainly room for the film to go a bit further in terms of fleshing out certain characters and relationships, and at exactly ninety minutes, it ends up feeling a bit short.

But North of Normal is carried on the strength of its very good performances, including a pair of engaging turns by Price-Maenpaa and Fix as the younger and slightly older versions of Cea. Robert Carlyle also leaves his mark on the film as Cea’s hippie grandpa affectionately known as Papa Dick, and Gadon delivers some of her finest work as a young mother who clearly loves her daughter, but also falls under the sway of drugs and bad boyfriends.

The through-line of the film is Cea dealing with her mother’s constant string of new sexual partners, and trying to adapt to a more “normal” life after a childhood where boundaries were being blurred. The most interesting aspect of the film’s structure is how it cuts directly between what Cea is experiencing as a teen and moments from her childhood (both joyous and traumatic), showing how her past continues to dictate her present, and raising more essential questions about nature versus nurture.

It’s a good portrait of an unconventional childhood, edited in a way that has a memory-like feel to it. The cinematography by David Robert Jones showcases the Canadian landscapes, while adding an intimate, handheld quality to the character-driven dramatic scenes, and the solid musical score by Electric Youth provides fitting accompaniment alongside a handful of nice song choices.

North of Normal is now playing in theatres in limited release, including at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. It’s being distributed in Canada by Elevation Pictures.