He spent 16 years celibate as a monk, then remembered dating exists. Chaos ensues.
Robert T. Edison was born and raised in Nottingham, England. When he was fourteen years old he began to practice Buddhism. Eighteen years old he became a monk and went to Thailand where, for a decade, he spent his time in monasteries around the country. He became the first Buddhist monk in Iceland when he moved here in 1994 and founded a Buddhist sect. Five years later Robert decided to "derobe" and get married. After sixteen years of celibacy Robert had to deal with being "normal" - getting employment, paying his bills and dealing with the needs of his partner. After four years in "the real world" Robert travelled back to Thailand to become a monk again. Act Normal is filmed from 1994 to 2006 and is a unique exploration of one man´s twelve-year search for some kind of love.
Direction
Twelve years of intimate, patient observation
Editing
Collapses a decade into 81 mesmerizing minutes
Director
Olaf de Fleur Johannesson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Robert founded Iceland's first Buddhist sect in a country with virtually no Buddhist history, essentially inventing a religious tradition from scratch in a Lutheran stronghold.
Director Olaf de Fleur began filming before knowing what he had—he originally intended a short about Iceland's first monk, not a 12-year longitudinal study of spiritual failure and return.
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