Lars and The Real Girl (2007)

Lars' (Ryan Gosling) is a distraught yet functional man who lives in the garage of his inherited home that he shares with his brother Gus (Paul Schneider), and sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer.) Lars is able to go to work, and church; he is able to wake up in the morning and get dressed, but he's unable to interact with people that truly care about him.

Margo (Kelli Garner), a co-worker who desperately wants to be with Lars, can't seem to get under his skin. After some relentless persistence, she finally decides to give it a break. His loving sister-in-law Karin repeatedly attempts to have him over for breakfast or dinner - or whenever, but he just can't seem to walk across the yard and into their back door. Gus is clearly less sensitive than both his wife, Karin, and his brother, Lars. He doesn't seem to think that Lars should be of much concern to anyone; he's just a man who wants to keep to himself.

When Bianca arrives in a crate, and then at Gus' and Karin's dinner table, Gus realizes he underestimated the situation at hand. They decide to seek medical attention from Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson), a medical practitioner and psychologist, who convinces Lars that Bianca is in need of weekly treatments due to a serious "illness." She takes the opportunity to unleash some of the mysteries behind Lars' delusion while Bianca "rests" from her treatment. Slowly we find out the reasoning behind his neurosis. Though Dagmar is of great assistance, the rest of Lars' community is equally eager to cater Lars' delusion, and assist in "keeping the dream alive."

This story succeeds through great acting, and semi-serious writing. Writer, Nancy Oliver, throws in the occasional gag, but generally opts for the high-road. Lars' even has religious beliefs as does Bianca. Despite the fact that she is a plastic sex-doll, she is treated with the utmost respect thoughout most of the film. Though suspension of disbelief is successful throughout most of the film, it's still a bit much to really believe when thought about logically. You can't help but wonder why anyone besides his immediate family would bother to "go along" with Lars' delusion. Nonetheless, the humanity is part of the film's success; without the emotional journey, "Lars and The Real Girl", wouldn't have a breath of life to it. But what would have made it more interesting is had the emotional journey revolved around Lars rather than the community's love of an alleged sex-toy, then maybe the suspension of disbelief would have never been interrupted...