More people than ever identify as LGBTQ+, and visible queer youth can bring warmth and envy to those who came out later. The story asks how life might differ if empowerment and acceptance happened earlier, without requiring a “come out” moment. Almost Normal, a 2005 gay dramedy with a Back to the Future-like premise, follows Brad Jenkins, a 40-year-old gay college professor who feels ashamed and remains single. After returning home and facing casual homophobia, Brad wishes he were normal, crashes, and wakes up in his own teen body. He is alarmed but finds himself in a different time where being gay is treated as normal.
"How might've things turned out differently for us if we'd felt empowered to be out in high school? Or, better yet, what if we didn't even have to "come out," and were simply accepted for who we were from the jump? Back in 2005, a largely forgotten film explored those questions with a twist: What if you could re-live your teen years in world where it was normal to be gay? Well, be careful what you wish for..."
"We meet our protagonist, Brad Jenkins (J. Andrew Keitch), an gay college professor who just turned 40. Despite his successful career, Brad's perpetually single and still feels ashamed of his sexuality. Things only get worse when he returns to his hometown for his parents' anniversary, where he's confronted with casual homophobia from his friends & family."
"After an argument with his mother, Brad tells his best friend Julie (Joan Lauckner) that he wishes he were normal, then drives away in a huff after a few too many drinks, only to careen off the road. When he wakes up, Brad is miraculously fine-actually, he's more than fine: he's a couple decades younger! Somehow, the crash transported him back in time and into his own teen body."
Read at Queerty
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