Season 8

Normal Sucks

Pascui Rivas

A short documentary about the tyranny of "normal" and the power of different.

Documentary

Disability

Educational

Why we chose this film.

Feeling different from others can lead to loneliness, but it can also be a springboard for connection. This film illustrates what's possible when we embrace our differences as superpowers and use them to build community.

Filmmaker

Inspiration

Having grown up in with a persistent level of unpredictability, I have always been interested in stories where familial and social support plays a crucial role in someone’s triumph in life.

As author Jonathan Mooney says, “who someone becomes is not up to them, it is up to all of us.”

I decided to make this film because my friend Jonathan Mooney was about to release his book Normal Sucks and said in passing that he wanted “to make some video about it.” I asked to read it and after finishing it I was moved to tears. I called him up and said we had to make a short documentary about his story growing up with dyslexia and his experiences learning to live way above his circumstances.