Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Directed by: Craig Gillespie | 106 minutes | drama, comedy | Actors: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson, Nancy Beatty, RD Reid, Joe Bostick, Liz Gordon, Nicky Guadagni, Doug Lennox, Karen Robinson, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Billy Parrott, Sally Cahill, Angela Vint, Liisa Repo-Martell, Darren Hynes, Víctor Gómez, Tommy Chang, Arnold Pinnock, Joshua Peace, Aurora Browne, Alec McClure, Tannis Burnett, Lauren Ash, Lindsey Connell, Aaron Ferguson, Danna Howe, Annabelle Torsein, Tim Blake, Torquil Colbo

Ryan Gosling is not yet well known in the Netherlands. His career started in America with TV series and in 2000 he played his first supporting role in a feature film: ‘Remember the Titans’, alongside giant Denzel Washington. In 2001 it was time for a first leading role; he impressed in the controversial ‘The Believer’ and in 2006’s ‘Half Nelson’ he did so again. Neither film has lured the Dutch public to the cinema in large numbers, which is a shame. Things could turn out differently with ‘Lars and the Real Girl’. It is a film that at first glance does not seem to have been made for the wider public, but which turns out to be accessible and warm enough to win the hearts of many. Gosling seems to seek controversy in his roles. In ‘The Believer’ he played a Jewish man who joins the KKK (really happened!), in ‘Half Nelson’ he played a teacher who is addicted to crack and now he plays Lars, a man who enters into a serious relationship…with a doll. .

That that relationship is serious is a fact. Lars talks to her, takes her everywhere and even has an argument with her once. This sounds a bit unbelievable and material for a nice, but somewhat bland comedy, but make no mistake: this film is not a comedy in the sense of a parody or a satire, on the contrary. It could be a fairy tale, but it isn’t either, then there would have been a different soundtrack, for example, and another one would have been exaggerated. No, actually the fact is dead serious and it is worked out very believably. If you get the tears in the eyes of a grown man worrying about his ‘sick’ doll, then the makers have done a good job.

However, the film is not heavy. The absurd basic fact regularly causes a smile or a cry of surprise. And the best part is that the people in the film all eventually give in. No film about overcoming shame, so no, everyone supports Lars, because they know him as a charming and honest boy, who wouldn’t hurt a fly. The fact that his brother and sister-in-law, on the advice of the friendly doctor (the wonderful Patricia Clarkson in a nice role), play the ‘game’ and play open cards to the outside world. They have to, because for Lars himself there is no problem. That his girlfriend is ‘real’ is a fact for him, whether she moves or not. Perhaps all that notion does indeed come across as a bit fairytale-like, but you could also see it as a successful attempt to dispel the cliché of narrow-mindedness in provincial America and to shed some light on the positive side of community spirit. But why does it all work so well? Because director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Nancy Oliver show us that that doll is a symbol. She is a mirror to ourselves. She shows us that the problems we have are within ourselves and that sometimes we need something from the outside to see it and eventually solve it. Who or what that is doesn’t matter, as long as it works. It’s also nice to see how a flat and empty thing (a sex doll, of course, a beautiful one by the way) can be someone’s salvation.

‘Lars and the Real Girl’ is an extremely moving film. At first sight far-fetched, but with well-developed characters and a tight storyline, which works towards an impressive denouement. Ryan Gosling and his co-stars put on excellent roles that carry the film from start to finish. The music is like the movie itself, warm and recognizable, but not predictable, excellent. After the first sounds you know right away: this is going to be a fun film. And what a strong directorial debut from Craig Gillespie!