A Veiled Tell: Nil Soli - 4/17/2008

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Upon the strong recommendation of MLM, I watched Lars and the Real Girl on Wednesday morning. The independent film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screnplay. Even so, there is no way to describe its plot without sounding ridiculous despite the fact that the film is anything but.

27-year old Lars Lindstrom (played by Ryan Gosling) is a socially dysfunctional young man living in a small mid-western town. He lives in the remodeled garage next to his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and pregnant, concerned sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer). Lars purchases a sex doll online and begins treating her as though she were his girlfriend. He introduces "Bianca" to his tightly-knit community and she is met with an unexpectedly heartwarming response. Bianca touches each member of the community differently.

Writer Nancy Oliver (TV’s “Six Feet Under”) got the idea while surfing the web and stumbling upon a web site offering lifelike dolls.

Ryan Gosling is brilliant, having the unenviable task of playing against the doll. To help him stay in character, the doll was treated like an actual person on set, as is done by the characters in the movie. She was dressed privately in her own trailer and was only present for scenes that she was in.

The film provides a unique look at mental illness. It has a highly positive view of human nature, depicting the community as genuinely wanting to help their neighbor. While this may be deemed unrealistic, the setting challenges the viewer to assess the possibilities for the mentally ill if they were in an idyllic environment.

I was especially interested in the church’s response in the film. When Lars’ minister, Reverend Bock (R.D. Reid), is confronted with the prospect of having the doll as a parishioner, he challenges his congregants to do what Jesus would do and be accepting. I think he chose wisely. Would I do the same?

Despite the risque premise of the film, there is no crude content. The movie has a powerful message about a community’s ability to nurture the socially challenged individual by treating her compassionately.

While the movie has a strong message and is undoubtedly unique, it is also very slow. Though classified as a comedy, and there are certainly some funny lines (“She loves kids!”), this is a drama. If you are in the frame of mind to watch a thought provoking drama, this film is terrific.

Current IMDB rating: 7.8/10. Chanalysis: 7/10.