Lars and the Real Girl

Friday night Breen and Patrick came up to celebrate my birthday a little early - we had dinner and went to a Van Wagner concert. I somehow had the impression it was going to be a regular concert, but it was a fundraiser for the Lewisburg class of 2010 prom and senior trip, being held at the middle school gym. Basically it was a bunch of high schoolers flocking up around the stage, while 30 feet back, B, P, and I sat in folding chairs with the parents of the high schoolers, serving as unofficial chaperones. So, the venue was unusual (we usually listen to Van at the Selin's Grove Brewery), which put a bit of an absurdist spin on the evening. But the music was still excellent, and we also got to hear Robert's (teen from church) band, which was the opening act (and was quite good!).

Given the crowd, the concert finished a lot earlier than expected, and the night was still young, so we picked up a movie: Lars and the Real Girl. This is my new favorite movie - so well written, so well acted, so well put together all around (I'm now firmly of the opinion it should have won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay over Juno). Double bonus points for taking place in northern Wisconsin during winter, and featuring a positive portrayal of Lutherans (how many movies can you say that about?!)

Lars is an incredibly shy and socially awkward fellow, so much so that he gets flummoxed even around his brother and sister-in-law. He ends up ordering a "real girl" - a silicone sex doll named Bianca - and is of the delusional opinion that she is real. He talks to her and believes she talks back to him, creates a whole life story for her, and considers her his girlfriend (though they are both very religious, so she sleeps in his brother's house). Bianca functions as a buffer for Lars' shyness, and becomes a conduit through which he begins engaging the people around him. Lars' church and community indulge him in the delusion and treat Bianca like a real person because they see how it is drawing him out and helping him to mature.

That's all I'll say, so that I don't ruin the details and full plot if you haven't yet seen it. But you really should - it's poignant and funny in an absurd and imaginative kind of way, while avoiding tempations to become melodramatic or crass. And it's a beautiful portrayal of how the small town and/or small church cares for its eccentrics - not that everyone does it perfectly or manages it all the time, not that the eccentric doesn't still irritate or creep people out sometimes, but on the whole, there is an abundant and benevolent grace that watches out for those on the fringes - I've seen it time and again in the city, in the suburbs, and in the country; in the Midwest, on the West coast, and right here in PA. Would that we'd have that kind of patience and generosity with all people at all times.

I do have to say, both Breen and my liturgical nerdiness came out during the church scenes, as their hymnals were not the familiar green LBWs. They looked like the new cranberry ELWs to me, but Breen thought they looked more red, like the old SBH. See, confusion like this is why Hollywood needs to hire me as their resident expert on Lutheranism. Heck, I don't want to deal with the traffic in LA, so I don't need to be a resident, I'll telecommute. And I'll even research and serve as a consultant for nitpicky details regarding other traditions at no extra charge. All I ask is a modest salary and the chance to go to a few premieres a year. . .come on Hollywood, you can't afford to pass this fantastic opportunity up!

Peace,
C.

PS - The good thing about all that time spent downloading stuff last week is that the updated Safari interfaces much better with Blogger (I can now put things in italics!). As I have time, I'll try to spruce up older entries written when I lacked such capabilities.