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Craig Gillespie, Lars And The Real Girl

by Kathryn Durfee
11/05/2007

Who says Internet romance is a scam? Craig Gillespie's debut film Lars and the Real Girl shows us the lengths to which we go for the people we love. The particularly interesting way in which the film goes about teaching us this lesson is through a sex doll. Now I have your attention.

Lars Lindstrom, played by Ryan Gosling, is a, well, a quiet guy. He lives a simple life in a cabin on the property of his family home, now occupied by his brother and pregnant sister-in-law. His mother died during childbirth and his father was depressed until the (recent) day of his death. During the day, Lars works in a cubicle doing what looks like data entry, but despite being "functional," he's a little bit off. Lars wears his baby blanket as a scarf, can barely stand the sensation of human touch, and prefers to be alone.

His sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer), takes it upon herself to try and get Lars back on track by inviting him to dinner, but he continually makes excuses. She begins to worry about Lars, thinking he might be depressed or in need of help. Her hopes are raised one day when Lars announces that a lady friend of his has come to visit. Can she stay with them, he asks? Upon welcoming her into their home, Karin and Gus (Paul Schneider) can't help but notice that she's... not human. In fact, Bianca is a life-sized sex doll purchased from a website Lars' co-worker found while surfing for porn.

Not a second passes during which Lars does not see Bianca as a real person. She's a half-Brazilian, half-Danish missionary. She can't walk because she's paraplegic. She doesn't talk because she's shy. Gus thinks his brother has finally lost it, but Karin doesn't want to give up on him. Asking for help from the family doctor (Patricia Clarkson), Karin and Gus are told that Lars is suffering from a "delusion" and the best thing for him is for his family to go along with him.

The most amazing thing about this film is that Bianca is treated the way Lars sees her: not only as a person, but a person worthy of being loved. Everyone around Lars has watched him slowly turn into a hermit of sorts, and they are eager to help him find a way out. After a few days of awkwardness and strange looks, Bianca is accepted into the community. Church ladies take her around, she volunteers at the hospital, and she's elected to the school board. The only person who is not crazy about the idea of having Bianca around is Margo (Kelli Garner), Lars' plucky co-worker and admirer.

The conclusion of the film is completely satisfying (and I don't mean that as innuendo), and I therefore do not want to spoil anything. Through Bianca, the audience gets a glimpse of the world in Lars' head. He is hurt and lonely, but there is also hope. With Bianca's help, Lars will finally become a man that can function not only in an office but also in society.

Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Lars is perfect. He manages to say what cannot be said through his reserved movements, childlike sensibility, and genuine belief that Bianca is real. Take for example a scene in which he takes Bianca out to the lake to see where he and Gus played as children. Carrying her piggy-back style through the woods, he tells her about his childhood. A cut shows him laying on his back in his old tree house, feet against the tree, singing "LOVE" at the top of his lungs, changing from baritone to falsetto randomly as would a child unconscious of his surroundings. He even breaks in the middle of the song to say "Oh, you should watch me chop wood. I'm really good at it."

The pure joy that exudes from Lars when he is with Bianca is undeniable. It's obvious how the other people in the community came to feel the same way about her. In fact, the audience can't help but feel some connection to Bianca. My mother even went so far as to say that she wishes she and Bianca could go shopping or eat lunch together. Ok, maybe I connected to the film because my family's a little off, too, but I think I made my point.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that despite prominently featuring a sex doll, Lars never strays or degrades into anything crass or smutty. The site advertised that Bianca is anatomically correct, but it is clear that Lars wants her as a companion rather than an object for personal enjoyment. Lars is not a pervert or a delinquent of any kind. He's different, and this is a film about acceptance and support. The topic is risky, but Lars succeeds with a serene tone and sense of balance.

Overall, Lars is a film about a guy who just needs a little help and a community that is more than willing to go along with him. It's at times laugh-out-loud funny and at times poignant, but it is entirely enjoyable.

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