This well-acted indie charmer starts out as a familiar quirkfest about a bright high school misfit (Dan Byrd). But it gains momentum when we learn our titular hero is coping with the recent death of his mother in an automobile accident, as well as the impending demise of his cancer-stricken dad (the wonderful Richard Jenkins).
When Norman’s only friend (Billy Lush) accuses him of being self-absorbed, Norman impulsively claims that he’s the one with cancer — and this lie quickly mushrooms, among other things helping Norman lose his virginity to a pretty, sympathetic classmate (Emily VanCamp).
“Norman’’ isn’t perfect — Norman’s suicide-themed theater-class monologue is sloughed off, which seems unlikely, and his autobiographical film-within-the-film is fairly trite.
But there’s a winning emotional truth in the father-son scenes in this Spokane-shot sleeper, directed with skill and sensitivity by Jonathan Segal.