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English-Language Movies in Madird - Lars and the Real Girl

English-Language Movies in Madird - Lars and the Real Girl

Can a man falling in love with a blow-up sex doll qualify as a love story? And, as importantly, can those of us with non-inflatable proclivities be drawn into this world? Lars and The Real Girl, written...

Lars and the Real Girl

Cine Yelmo Ideal
Calle Dr. Cortezo, 6
Metro Sol/Tirso de Molina

by Cynthia Blair Kane

Can a man falling in love with a blow-up sex doll qualify as a love story? And, as importantly, can those of us with non-inflatable proclivities be drawn into this world?

Lars and The Real Girl, written by Nancy Oliver, and directed by Craig Gillespie, explores loneliness, delusion and happiness through this atypical situation.

Lars, played by Ryan Gosling, is a quiet, handsome, sensitive loner whose life hasn’t gone according to plan. His mother died during childbirth and he was subsequently neglected by his heartbroken father, and older brother, Gus (Paul Schneider).

As an adult, he operates on the periphery living in the garage behind his brother and pregnant sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer). His awkward, solitary habits are the center of discussion; at home, the office and his church, Lars can’t escape the constant push from the community to “find a nice girl”.

Lars finally bows to pressure, but very much according to his own standards. With such profound deficits it isn’t surprising that he has become a hollow shell of a human being who would seek a partner equally empty, but no one thought she would be literally empty.

Yes, emotional pressure gets strangely translated into air pressure and Lars shows up at his brother’s door with an inflatable life-size doll he bought on the Internet. He proudly introduces her as his girlfriend, Bianca. And, just in case you are nervous about this point, although Bianca is anatomically correct, their relationship remains unconsummated because of Lars’ strict religious beliefs. Though his brother thinks he’s nuts, and his sister-in-law is worried sick, they realize the only way for the situation to get better is for them, and everyone else in the community, to go along with it.

One would think that the community would find the whole situation intolerable, but because of their love for Lars, they go along with the charade. Bianca attends church, goes to parties, volunteers, and gets her hair done. In short, she becomes a part of the community, and member of the family.

As we watch the relationship between Lars and Bianca unfold, we see him begin to come into his own. And, as the viewer, we also begin to view Bianca differently. Even though she never speaks, she is no longer just a doll; she becomes a character we inexplicably grow to like. We accept her, just like the community, because we begin to understand Lars. For some reason, it starts to make sense, and what at the beginning seemed strange, is now natural.

Why such an off-beat movie works is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps the true love story is between the community and Lars. Their unconditional support for someone as emotionally stunted as Lars is something we can all admire and aspire to. So even if you are more of a community type than a blow-up-Betty type, you might find yourself smitten with this film.