Leaving Normal: Christine Lahti, Meg Tilly--Two Women Travel to Alaska

Leaving Normal is a movie starring Christine Lahti and Mag Tilly, two wanderers leaving Wyoming, whose paths cross on a trail which leads to a move to Alaska.

Darly (Lahti) and Marianne (Tilly) are opposites who are on a voyage of discovery--literally, as they travel to the remote Alaskan wilderness. And their voyage isn't just physical. The women are on an emotional journey, as they try to come to grips with life passages.

A chance encounter with another women gives Darly and Marianne a travel trailer to live in, which they desperately need later because upon reaching Alaska, they discover that, contrary to expectations, Darly's house has never been built.

Marianne is running "from" and Darly is running "back to," but as the story progresses, the lines become blurred as to just who is doing the running. After their move to Alaska, one woman grapples with external demons, while the other grapples with internal ghosts

Will the women cut muster in the Alaskan wilderness or will old patterns prevent them from moving forward?

This story is one of new beginnings, of independence and interdependence and ultimately of self-realization. Far from the usual chick flick, the film is a gritty portrayal of two courageous women, set against a backdrop of stunning Alaskan scenery.

Leaving Normal is a classic story that has become a favorite road movie celebrating female endurance.

True to its title, Leaving Normal is a movie offering something a little different--quirky characters who undertake and undergo an Alaska relocation--women who by their very oddness seem all the more real.