Lars and the Real Girl

Dir: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider

When it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, Lars and The Real Girl received a standing ovation, though it may be difficult to understand why when the plot is relayed on paper. The film tells the story of a disturbingly shy man who purchases a sex doll on the Internet and introduces her to the family as his girlfriend. The image that strikes the mind is of a peculiar comedy, at best.

Gosling plays Lars, a likeable 27-year-old who struggles to integrate into the community, though his isolation is largely ignored until he purchases an anatomically correct doll called Bianca over the Internet. His brother Gus (Schneider) presumes he wants a sexual encounter when what he truly craves is a meaningful relationship.

It emerges that Lars’ delusion is a compensatory technique for feelings of rejection that manifested whilst he was growing up and, to overcome his fear of abandonment, the community must elaborately endorse his false reality. Lars’ intimacy with Bianca forces his brother to address their problematic childhood in an attempt, helped by wife Karin (Mortimer) who refuses to give up hope, to return their lives to normal.

The script subtly explores the nature of mental illness at a truly emotional level with touching humour that never ridicules or degrades. It is a genuinely compassionate approach to a problem that is commonly ignored in society because it is not fully understood. However, although many of the characters’ gestures and reactions appeared genuine, the aura of realism was inconsistent, making it difficult to immerse yourself fully in the film. Nevertheless, Gosling’s portrayal of Lars is truly outstanding and his delivery delicately humane, making the film worth seeing for its quirky but touching interpretation of adapting to mental illness.

Out Friday 21st March at Cornerhouse

8/10