Lars and the Real Girl

Lars and the Real Girl is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, and Patricia Clarkson. Its plot follows Lars, a kind-hearted but socially awkward young man who develops a romantic yet nonsexual relationship with an anatomically correct sex doll, a RealDoll named Bianca. Lars and the Real Girl was released in the United States on October 12, 2007, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Though a commercial failure, the film was positively received by critics, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, while Gosling received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Plot Lars Lindstrom lives a secluded life in a small northern town. His mother died when he was born, causing his grief-stricken father to have been a distant parent to Lars and his older brother, Gus. Gus carries guilt for having left the desperate family situation as soon as he could support himself; Lars struggles with the loss of his mother during his birth and an irrational fear about the risk of death during childbirth. As a result, he exhibits avoidance behaviors and haphephobia, causing social awkwardness and isolation. Having inherited the family home after their father's death, the two brothers both live on the property along with Gus' wife, Karin. Lars lives in the converted garage, while Gus and Karin, who is pregnant with their first child, live in the house proper. Despite Karin's efforts to bring Lars out of his shell, interacting with or relating to his family and co-workers is very difficult for him. A colleague at his office, Margo, also tries to engage him, but Lars is impervious to Margo's attempts to be friendly.