Sunday, November 11, 2007

"Lars and the Real Girl" (2007) - Movie Review

Chuck Noland of “Cast Away” starts speaking to volleyball in fear of his loneliness. In that no human’s island, he desperately tries to keep himself company. In a sense of avoiding going insane, he keeps him sane by talking to aptly named “Wilson” as the brand name. Anyone approaching him for the first time would look at it in an obvious sense of some one going out of his mind. Perceptions, plays a key part in both the cases. With Lars (Ryan Gosling), when he talks with a doll, he does not know it and others know he is going insane. Chuck Noland knew he was talking with volleyball while Lars believes his doll to be a lively girl.

Lars has lost touch with being around with people. He stays outside in a garage of his Brother Gus’ (Paul Schneider) house. So here is a man who for every possible opportunities of a community so willing to help (as we see them easily accommodating the change Lars brings upon) and a girl in his work Margo (Kelli Garner) interested him, he opts to stay out of it. Nothing much is explained about it. There are some more things the movie does not explain much which as a whole lacks and also what essentially is important for an independent movie, solemn emotion.

Gus’ wife Karin (Emily Mortimer) needs to stand in front of Lar’s car to invite him to their house for dinner. He stands in the door step of their house while conversing and does not let them inside his house either. He is a lonely man who prefers to be with himself. Lars one fine day knocks on their door and introduces them to his girl friend, Bianca. The problem is Bianca is a human sized doll. A more precisely, a sex doll his cube mate in his office comments early in the movie. “Anatomically correct” is what he says. He is deluding himself is the statement of their family doctor Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) says and advises to keep the show going until he does not need of it anymore.

The plot is well set. The start invites us quite anxiously. We want to know Lars. We want to understand him which sadly rest of the others in the movie does not want to. They care like the whole world is falling upon him, true. They do everything possible to make him feel not different. But no one really touches the base wherein they take a moment, sit and talk with him. Every one is so cheerful and accommodative, but the real thing of getting to speak directly with him or the attempt seems to be not shown. Even Dagmar graces around him and we only learn that he does not want to be touched. While it tells us how remotely one person has secluded himself from every one, it leaves with the same expression as any one in the town does, sympathy. But I do not think that’s the real emotion director Craig Gillespie would have aimed upon.

The movie works marginally appealing overall. It is nicer to see a lifeless doll gets its life with every one else and how it becomes a greater part in a community. It is believable to have a town with people like that. They are closed and look out for each other. At one moment while I was questioning why they are not explaining his delusions, I stopped and let me reminded of a thing. They never promised and the film never committed on giving something over it. Hence I put off that thought and went on. And as the end progressed, it brought out the question back into my mind. Gus and Lars have a talk on manhood which Gus takes a turn into his own apology of how he left Lars with their father to pursue his family life of his own. Lars never seems to mind about it and it rarely seems to be his present state of actions. What exactly did happen in between them? Was Lars always like this of being alone? And if he moved very recently into their house, how does it appear that every one acts as they know him for quite a long time?

As it can be summarized, the main intention of the film is to make us see through the world of people who want to be listened and responded of their way of liking and desires. But we never see it in action of importance or something to strike us comically or emotionally. When Lars spends a night with Margo, it appears more of her having a bowling fun than with Lars. But they try to turn it the other way round. These are the scenes which fail to strengthen the relationship they desperately want to build.

Ryan Gosling single handedly brings us strong, charismatic, sweet and lost Lars in many ways possible. It is his final tears of lost for real makes the film stands for its purpose. The choices of winter season, the pink colour representations are some nice touches to have the feel of happy but in a near end of losing some one, fits the bill. The film is a feeling of mirage. They make us feel hopeful of something but we never see it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

i had a different experience about the bowling scene with margot. it was partly about their bonding but as importantly, it was about his need or male bonding and affirmation. through all of his relations, Lars is building up his sense of belonging, his strength, and his ability to be loved.