How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World is a 2025 drama directed by Florian Pochlatko in his directorial debut. The film stars Luisa-Céline Gaffron, Elke Winkens, Cornelius Obonya, Harald Krassnitzer, and Fanny Altenburger. When a young woman, Pia (Gaffron), is released from a psychiatric hospital, she moves back in with her parents as she tries to rebuild her life and find balance.

Out of all the entries I received digital screenings for, this was somewhere towards the bottom of the list. From the image below to the concept, it didn’t sound all that interesting to begin with, but I was completely wrong. This is why I always encourage everyone to watch anything and everything as much as I do. Even if you don’t like something, I believe it still gives you something to talk about with others. I can honestly see this being mixed with viewers, but grow a deeper appreciation for over time.

To my surprise, this also has a filmmaking perspective, much like one of the other Berlinale entries, Hysteria, did. Except this time, this is a lot more meta. As someone who went to school for film and loves film, I can understand why they made this so meta. By the end of the film, you can even understand why this approach is necessary. I was in complete awe by how cinematic the film can look as we are seeing things from the main character’s perspective. She wants her life to mean something, and in doing so, she sees her life as a movie. I guess you could say she has the main character syndrome. The tone does reminds me a lot of I Saw the TV Glow. For that, I’d be very interested in seeing the reception for this one.

Luisa-Céline Gaffron is truly remarkable as Pia. She shows so much confidence through her performance. It’s clear she has a lot of trust in writer & director Florian Pochlatko. No matter what the actress & director does next, I WILL be watching. I also believe the film does an incredible job at making us care for someone where there might be a stigma of. There’s plenty of callbacks to other films as well that will make cinephile excited.

Overall, I was quite surprised by How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World. If you are looking for something deep in meaning, I highly recommend you seek this one out. Luisa-Céline Gaffron is truly the beating heart of the film that is fully realized by Florian Pochlatko’s masterful direction. I have no idea when this will become more available. When this does, I’d recommend seeing it ASAP.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)