Lars is a young man who spent much of his life alone with his widower father. When his dad finally passed on, his brother, Gus (Paul Schneider), moved home with his wife, Karin (Emily Mortimer). With his brother back and his father gone, Lars retreated not only to the garage, but further into himself. Karin, however, is determined to break Lars out of his shell and get him involved in the family. It is obvious that he cares about them, but at the same time, he uses any excuse possible to avoid Karin's invitations.I always say that in good movies the plots are largely irrelevant to what the movie is about, and this movie is really about loneliness and community. Lars is extremely shy and socially awkward and also has a problem with being touched by others. He orders a sex doll off of the internet and is absolutely 100% convinced she is real, and the whole town plays along because they all care about Lars.
The film is very funny, largely due to the reactions of people to having this doll presented and addressed as a real live person, but it is not a comedy. It never plays for laughs - they are incidental. At its core the film is about loneliness, how one escapes loneliness, and how people can come together when you least expect it. In this case the whole town comes together for Lars as he works out some of his issues through his delusion of Bianca.
Ryan Gosling plays the part brilliantly. He and director Craig Gillespie were at the screening to discuss the film but didn't really have anything terribly profound to add. And Gosling, while a fabulous actor, came off as a bit of an ass. Gillespie did not.
This film opened at the TIFF earlier this year and I don't know if it is slated for theatrical release and, if so, when. If it is I highly encourage people to see it. And I smell an Oscar nom for Gosling. His performance is so incredible - he really drives and carries the whole movie. He was nominated last year for Half Nelson, which I still haven't seen but have heard nothing but raves about, and I expect he will be nominated again this year. The supporting performers also do a very good job. All of the acting is very understated for the most part.
