Movie Review: The Extraordinary Ordinary

The story revolves around three friends: Erica, Bianca, and Alex. Erica leaves home to pursue photography and meets Bianca who becomes her partner at a project in class. Coincidentally, she also meets Alex at her new job and he happens to be Bianca’s brother (Bianca was adopted by Alex’s parents). They all hit it off as friends, but each has to deal with their dark experience in the past. With different ways to cope, they battle with anxiety and depression while finding comfort in their friendship, and the good people who support them.

The Extraordinary Ordinary is a psychological drama by Natalie Rodriguez. This is her directorial feature film which she has written and produced. On the merits of the film’s objective and creative value, it was chosen to be screened at the Awareness Film Festival (AFF), Glendale International Film Festival (GIFF), and the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival (LADFF). Moreover, it won the ‘Best Film About Women’s Empowerment’ at GIFF and its leading actress, Maddison Bullock, won ‘Best Performance’ at the LADFF during the world premiere. The film also gained nominations for Best Director, Best Female Director, and Best Feature.

I was lucky to be given access to a film that will be instrumental in today’s issues with mental health. The actors portrayed their roles very well by showing the right demeanor for the type of character they played. Maddison deserved the recognition she got at the LADFF. She was very natural in her role and I could very much relate to her, not because I had the same traumatic experience, but because I was also in a very dark place where I didn’t want people to get involved with whatever I was going through. The panic and anxiety attacks that were shown on the film were very realistic. Those are the exact behavior of a mentally unstable person whenever there is an overwhelming event, or whenever there is pressure. I could also very much relate to the triggers – like her mom nagging or being overly protective of her instead of providing support, trust, and understanding. I love her dad’s personality, who’s also like my dad when he was alive. He was just cool about things, but he was there when he was needed. I almost cried during the part when Erica was reading the Extraordinary Ordinary project to her father, same time that Bianca was reading it for the class. That part was very heartwarming.

Overall, this film is definitely 5 out of 5 stars. It is encouraging and it teaches the value of communication and support within a group of trusted people. It also shows that people cope with anxiety and depression in different ways. Natalie and everyone who have been a part of this film did an awesome job that will benefit many, many people.