Lars and the Real Girl 12/18/07

Lars and the Real Girl, is a very rare and special film. It is undefinable as a drama or a comedy. It's about something very serious, and yet has many laughs. It has a universal theme and yet I can't think of any specific audience this movie would be made for. It's strange, sweet, and unpredictable. Above all it is compassionate and features a cast of nice, kind, and empathetic people. This is one of the most original movies of the year.
It stars Ryan Gosling as Lars, a painfully shy man who lives in the garage behind his brother's house, has no friends, and flinches at the idea of people touching him. Lars has a problem with isolation, and it feeds upon itself. He can't even bring himself to attend dinner with his brother and his wife (Emily Mortimer). The alienation runs deep.
To fix his problem, Lars creates an imaginary friend. Well, sort of. He orders a sex doll over the internet, names it Bianca, and introduces her to people as his girlfriend, who happens to be a paraplegic missionary. His brother and sister in law are horrified. Lars is having delusions about what is real and what is not.
This is a serious edgy issue. There are not many movies that can bring this sort of problem up and create laughs, not to mention sympathetic charachters. But this movie does both and how it does it merits alot of praise. First of all there is Ryan Gosling, who although spends the entire movie talking to a doll, never seems to act truly crazy. He is soft spoken and shy. This type of delusion can scare people, but Gosling is completely non-threatening. Secondly, the story itself is deeply knowledgeable about this sort of problem. I, myself, am personally aware of it. I looked upon this movie with a judging eye, to see if it would get the details correct. The direction, writing, and acting are all perfect. There are two scenes especially, one at a party, the other at a bowling alley, that convinced me that the makers knew what they were doing. Take a look at the body language and editing. These moments may be frivolous to normal people, but they are very important to Lars. 
The way the town reacts to Lars' situation provides much of the creativity in this movie. There is a sympathy and understanding that makes the picture endearing in these scenes. Also the people are very smart and they take advantage of the delusion in order to help Lars. (Sometimes the lengths the town goes to strecthes plausibility, but what the hell) Lastly, Emily Mortimer's performance is the anchor of the movie. I loved her charachter and how good she was. I don't believe there is a single bad person in this film. It is about a man who is fighting his own loneliness. It is a very quiet, rare, and special indeed.