A Normal Family

An unpredictable ride, right up to the film’s abrupt but poetically thought-provoking smash ending.

Jae-wan unconvincingly rationalizes morally dubious behavior and Jae-gyoo almost as equally unconvincingly rationalizes his own presence in an obviously unjust system as having somewhat more integrity.

Although director Hur Jin–ho's A Normal Family isn't without speechifying, it's far more subtle and accomplished than Moverman's film.

Hur Jin-ho’s commendably chilling adaptation of The Dinner by Herman Koch is a marked improvement from the high-strung but tonally manic American version starring Richard Gere. But fans of the spiky novel will still perceive a certain void.

Do you like mess? Do you want to see phenomenal acting? Well, A Normal Family is here for you.

A Normal Family is a strong think piece, one that provokes a deep look inward to expose our true selves.



As it stands, A Normal Family ends up just a good half-hour shy of nailing the thrilling conclusion to what could have been one of the great 21st-century South Korean crime dramas.

A Normal Family is smart enough to not offer pat answers or resolutions. Rather, it is a showcase of how unavoidable its events are. They unfold almost like a Shakespearean tragedy does.