Lars & The Real Girl

Real Dolls are the latest generation of sex dolls – authentic life-size
mannequins bearing silicone flesh bona fide to the touch. "Lars and the Real Girl" seems to take this concept, in all its private taboo connotations, to an eccentric, yet heartfelt love story.

Lars (Ryan Gosling) is a harmless, but painfully neurotic introvert who
spurns all variations of human contact. That is, until he meets, or rather
orders Bianca the Real Doll online, for the most genuine of reasons - if
Lars is emotionally crippled, then Bianca is if anything, a pair of crutches
more than a mere anatomically correct sex toy. When Lars proceeds to
introduce Bianca to his brother (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer) as a chaste missionary, their immediate, though subtle action is to take him to a psychiatrist, who advises his loved ones to accept Bianca as a real girl and allow Lars to outgrow his seemingly stunted personal issues in his own time and terms.

While its elements are utterly bizarre, Lars and the Real Girl very successfully propels a story about a man's relationship with a sex doll with absolute honesty, innocence, sensitivity and respect. Ryan Gosling is perfectly convincing as the troubled soul yearning to love but unable to channel it. His tender performance goes to a zone beyond judgement in an otherwise, outrageous relationship. The casted Real Doll, though unresponsive and lifeless, surprisingly elicits an abundance of sincere emotions with a power to facilitate them in ways a living character cannot. The supporting cast is really, just that. They project the best of values in communal spirit and unity, with a neighbourly love that is unconditional. They behave what we would feel towards Lars to great effect.

This strong investment in unconditional values really is the magic behind the film. It is surprisingly not as outrageous as it appears in principle. With familial ties, community obligation and love to serve as an anchoring foundation, Lars and the Real Girl does well to go beyond the portrayal of an easily crass, vulgar predicament the story revolves around. Instead, it is immediately profound, commanding, touching, hard to categorize, but without a doubt, extremely easy to enjoy.

Cast Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson Director Craig Gilespie Runtime 106 mins Opens 24 April