- Young, struggling playwright and theater director, Victor, and his girlfriend Mary are expecting their first child. As Mary's father keeps buying them things they could never afford, Victor's sense of entrapment grows.
- Victor, a struggling theater director in New York City and his girlfriend Mary are expecting their first child. This places enormous pressure on Victor and a random encounter with a stranger in need offers an escape from the terror of conventionality.—Anette Lewis
- New York filmmaker and photographer Hai Kocharian has created the character of Victor, a young artist in New York City, in this compelling and visually stunning film debut. Victor is a struggling playwright and theater director and his girlfriend Mary is expecting their first child. He has a temporary job in construction to make ends meet, but the dusty, dirty job exhausts him. Across town, Mary is a manager at a tony Madison Avenue boutique. The young couple is about to move out of their bohemian apartment in Brooklyn to the suburbs, all funded by Mary's father. As Dad keeps buying them things they could never afford, Victor's claustrophobia and sense of entrapment grows. His inner struggle to meet their expectations seems to guide him towards a way of life he is unwilling to accept. Louis Cancelmi and Sam Waterston are starring in featured roles in this drama set in New York City and Connecticut. Haik Kocharian's art reflects his deep interest in discovering and interpreting philosophical questions which are dictated by his life as an artist. Please Be Normal is very much an original, autobiographical film, a bold and visionary reflection on the universal problem of choosing the direction of our lives.—Anette Lewis
- Filmed in New York City and Connecticut, "Please Be Normal" is a bold and visionary reflection on the universal problem of choosing the direction of our lives. A young, struggling playwright and theater director, Victor, and his girlfriend Mary are expecting their first child. As Mary's father keeps buying them things they could never afford, Victor's sense of entrapment grows. His inner struggle to meet their expectations seems to be guiding him towards a way of life he is unwilling to accept. The suffocating reality his life is becoming pushes him towards an escape, but is it for real?—Anette Lewis
- Victor, a struggling theater director in New York City and his girlfriend Mary are expecting their first child. This places enormous pressure on Victor and a random encounter with a stranger in need offers an escape from the terror of conventionality.
The film explores family relationships and offers a critical look at driven life styles focused on material gain. The catharsis of the film occurs in a pristine natural setting in Connecticut. Beautiful images of nature represent an escape from conformity, a dichotomy of opposite worldsnature versus industry, spiritual versus material.
Sam Waterston alongside his daughter, Elisabeth Waterston and her husband Louis Cancelmi are in parallel roles in this screenplay written for them.
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