Apr 222009
 

People will either consider this movie great or stupid.  Since my Myers-Briggs type is INFJ and the J stands for judging, I do have an opinion about those who will call it stupid.  But I shall hold this in check. I shall also refrain from revealing too much about the story itself, since that would tend to spoil it for you when/if you see it.

larsReactions to Lars and the Real Girl (2007) remind me of reactions to Quest for Fire (1981).  People didn’t know how to take Quest for Fire, since cavemen and women had always been treated as cartoon characters.  People thought they should laugh and take it as comedy, then they became less sure, and others decided it was stupid and walked out of the theater.  Same with Lars.  Mental illness is also used as material for comedy routinely, and some viewers will have this response.

Lars and the Real Girl is about mental illness, particularly delusion, and about people’s varied reactions to it.  It is a positive and hopeful depiction, particularly in terms of family and community support for this type of suffering.  The funeral sermon by the local pastor is a jewel. Admittedly this portrayal of people supporting their neighbors may be overly hopeful.  One of my friends commented, “Just where do you find a community like this?”  But in a world where the dark sides of our human nature are routinely over-played, it is nice to have it done the other way.

Be sure to watch the special features after you see the film.  Let me know what you think.

View the film trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1XxILVnt1w
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