After recently expressing my reluctance to respond to Oprah's picks, I am going to recommend a movie now out on DVD. There, I said it.
The film is Lars and the Real Girl starring the excellent Canadian actor, Ryan Gosling. Actually, the acting is strong in every character. It is about a socially inept and emotionally stunted guy, named Lars, who manages to go to work and to church but lives in seclusion in a garage the rest of the time. To his family's dismay, Lars orders an anatomically correct, life-size sex doll as a companion. No, no, it's not that kind of movie. Lars enters into a delusional relationship with "Bianca" that has nothing to do with sex and he even enlists help to dress her sensibly for winter weather.
The delight of this movie is that the odd couple is accepted by the small town in which they live. Thanks to a compassionate doctor and an understanding pastor Lars's emotional trauma is eventually understood for what it is by virtually everyone and this acceptance is the beginning of his healing. There is a church board meeting where members wrestle with whether to allow Lars to bring Bianca to church and finally decide it's okay.
Of course this almost total acceptance is unrealistic, yet it is a lovely fable, or even a parable. It's a relief to see church folk portrayed as caring rather than judgemental. My experience is that the vast majority of "churchies" are compassionate and generous.
I wonder why we are so often portrayed as mean-spirited and unloving? Maybe I don't want an answer!
9 comments:
I'm back! This movie was one of the most touching movies I have seen in a very long time. Wasn't too sure o.k. "a guy lives with a blow up doll in his garage" oh well, I had been to see someone blowing someone elses brains out every 5 minutes it couldn't be worse than that. I so enjoy compassion to murder..call me crazy!
We just returned from Michigan where we were in a very fundamentally religious area. Mix that with an upcoming election and I say give me "Lars and the Real Girl" anytime!
Thanks Lynn. I had next to no expectations for this film and was thoroughly disarmed and charmed.
I thought it was a very sad show. Saw it quite a while ago, have told people it is a good watch. You should go to see Passchendaele to see a good Canadian show.
Laurie you do have the movie bug. It's a good disease to have, but this year it's been slim pickin's.
As we get nearer to Remembrance Day another movie you might want to search out - probably at the library- is a movie called Joyeux Noel. It's an account of the spontaneous Christmas Eve truce declared by the British, French and German troops in the trenches of W.W.1. The enemies put down their weapons for one night and banded together in brotherhood. The higher-ups in the chain of command, needless to say, did not like this sort of activity. As shown in the movie it was the singing of Christmas carols across no man's land that got it all started. Ah, the power of music!! The Fraterniser's hymn - newly composed for the movie, is a most moving composition.
I do watch a lot of movies. My son collects movies.He writes reviews.
Our house has well over 2000 DVDs
and over 1000 VHS. If you are ever
looking for a show we probably have it.
Three more movies to add to my list. Thank you!
As soon as I read that the pastor was portrayed positively, I thought, well, that's a twist. Then I read that the Church Board even made a decision based on compassion and understanding. Pastors are portrayed negatively in most of media, but church boards are seen this way in our own churches! Sounds like great movie to watch and share. Thanks for the recommendation.
Okay, so everything eventually comes back around. A couple of interesting recommendations, so I will add Persepolis, an animated film about the shift in Iran from a modern society to one in which the chador (see earlier blog!) was reinstituted. Thanks for the imput.
By the way David. I'm glad you've come over to the Oprah side. Everyone does eventually!
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