'You are not normal'

Those spiteful words are written in simple block letters on the dusty passenger side door of a pickup truck in a scene from the movie "Normal."

And they are at the heart of a stirring movie, made in 2003 for HBO, that we watched last night. Lately, the films we've seen on Netflix have been OK but nothing memorable. This one, starring Tom Wilkinson (Roy) and Jessica Lange (Irma) as a married couple in conservative, rural Illinois, was an exception. It's a film, based on the play by Jane Anderson, that's well-acted and covers a lot of emotional ground.

The plot: Just after their 25th wedding anniversary, Roy breaks down and tells Irma that he's got "gender identity disorder" -- a feeling he's battled for years that he was born into the wrong body. The surprise announcement sends ripples of shock, denial, resentment, confusion and anger through their church and community, and forces Irma and the couple's son and daughter to confront their notions of what it means to be a transsexual.

The questions: How will Roy's boss and co-workers react? How can Irma deal with a belief that she's been deceived or done something wrong herself? Will she continue to live with him after his sex change? Does his condition make her a lesbian? Can their children accept a father who wears dresses and has grown breasts? Is there any hope that a love forged over 25 years can prove stronger than society's prejudices?

I've become very comfortable with the issues surrounding homosexuality, seeing family members, friends and co-workers leading ordinary lives and expressing the same needs, wants and quirks as anyone else. But I have to admit that I've never really understood the phenomenon of transexuality.

Every so often, though, along comes a movie that truly illuminates a condition in a way that's honesdt and transformative. I think back to "Rain Man" and autism; "A Beautiful Mind" and schizophrenia; and, yes, "Boys Don't Cry" and transgenderism. In my view, "Normal" deserves to take its place among movies of that quality. Wilkinson and Lange are superb in their roles. And the story's arc will leave you with the conviction that human beings are capable of adapting, and even embracing, the unfamiliar.

View the 35-second trailer on YouTube.