Lars and the Real Girl

Lars and the Real Girl, Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer.
Wow! If you like feeling uncomfortable for 2 hours, this is a great movie. I was both embarrassed for the character, and hated him at the same time. I think that is why I have such a hard time with Mental illnesses. They are so hard to understand, when you just want to shake the guy silly and say wake up, get over it. Ryan Gosling has an outstanding performance, as he plays a small town recluse, who becomes delusional about his new girlfriend, who is actually a life like sex doll that he buys off the Internet. He has Christian values, so his intentions are never about sex, just having a relationship with this inanimate object. The most interesting thing about this film, is how the town wraps their arms around this situation, and pretends along with him that "Bianca" is real. For the most part, it is a therapeutic window into the life of a mental illness, and how it affects those around him. Other than the incredibly disturbing plot, this movie was pretty good, as I felt for the characters, and was hoping for a happy ending. I will admit, I kept waiting for the doll to come to life like Kim Catrell did in Mannequin. Not bad for a Independent Film. At least the story was original.