Nora (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

As her band-managing husband travels the world, Nora (Anna Campbell)–also the writer and director–must deal with the struggles of motherhood. Juggling PTA meetings, a young and inquisitive daughter, and a career that she’s forced to put on hold, Nora finds herself crumbling under pressure. 

Nora opens to a catchy tune, filmed in the form of a behind the scenes shoot of a studio session. The film begins on a high that enamores viewers and passionately welcomes them into Nora’s journey. The tone is set almost immediately, promising a film that would be full of highs, but just as quickly pulls the rug out from underneath the audience–and Nora transitions into something just as powerful and titillating, but plummeting to an emotional low that will take precedence going forward. The remainder of Nora juggles emotional highs and lows–playing out in a way that accurately mirrors the real world. 

Nora is a drama that uses both comedy and music as vehicles to get its message across–and it’s effective in doing so. Again, that opening scene invites the audience in emotionally–and Nora continues to utilize music throughout the rest of the film to garner continued emotional responses from viewers. Early in the film the narrative shifts suddenly to a music video, one that somehow manages to exist within the narrative itself, but initially feels out of place. 

As Nora barrels forward, music videos become a staple of Campbell’s storytelling–and the more they appear, the easier it becomes to accept and appreciate them. With Nora being a musician, the music videos alter the trajectory of the primary narrative in a way that ultimately makes sense and continues to develop Nora throughout. Even better, the series of songs are incredibly catchy–and I often found myself humming along to enveloping tunes that filled the room around me. I soon felt fully immersed in Nora’s world–better understanding her struggles, and more importantly, appreciating them. 

There’s something to the occasional mention of the fact that Nora can’t write (a bit of a meta reference)–as there are moments of dialogue throughout the course of Nora in which it’s clear that Campbell has struggled to develop thought-provoking dialogue–particularly in regard to the character’s daughter, Sadie (Sophie Marie Baaden). These moments are overshadowed by the emotional relevance of what’s being said, rarely hindering the film–but it’s worth mentioning that the occasional faux pas does exist. 

There’s no true conclusion to Nora, no ah-ha moment where it becomes clear that Nora finally has it all figured out–and that’s the perfect ending to this film. It’s simple a film about life, about the hardships of being a parent, of failing, of trying to find your way in this fucked-up world. To have a definitive ending would detract from that sentiment, would almost bastardize it–and Campbell understands this so well. We effectively know the direction in which Nora’s story is headed, but there’s no promise that everything will be alright at the end of the day. Again, the open-ended conclusion of Nora is fitting for this dramatically heavy narrative–one that is sure to resonate with viewers everywhere. 

Written & Directed by Anna Campbell. 

Starring Anna Campbell, Briana Lane, Sophe Mara Baaden, Max Lesser, Nick Fink, etc. 

8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING