Filmed in Spokane, this smart, spirited high-school comedy-drama feels like a Northwest original.

Arriving so closely on the heels of Gus Van Sant's Portland-based "Restless" — another tale about death- obsessed teenagers — it almost can't help suggesting a connection. Is there something about these times, and these landscapes, that would inspire such characters?

Fortunately, "Norman" has a more wicked sense of humor than the dreamy, slightly anemic "Restless." First-time screenwriter Talton Wingate dares to afflict Norman, his unlucky hero, with enough troubles to hint that he's turning into a contemporary Job, but Wingate doesn't press too far.

The title character, played with a sharp sense of self- dramatizing flair by Dan Byrd ("Easy A"), has lost his mother in a traffic accident. He's also about to lose his father (Richard Jenkins) to stomach cancer.

Norman reacts to the situation by cutting up in class in a way that inspires a sympathetic teacher (Adam Goldberg) to nominate him to give a speech. Norman uses the opportunity to disturb his fellow students with an account of suicidal dreams.

Pressured by his disapproving best friend (Billy Lush), he blurts out that he has cancer, too. Suddenly he finds himself forced to go all the way with the lie, shaving his head and taking advantage of the fact that his dream girl (Emily VanCamp) is interested in him.

The director, Jonathan Segal, skillfully builds on the tension that this situation creates, though he can't quite make Wingate's ending click. Still, Segal is so good with his actors that you may not mind. Jenkins and Byrd are heartbreakingly believable as father and son, VanCamp makes the most of her better lines, while Goldberg turns Norman's teacher into a walking provocation.

John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com