First Hit: This oddly premised film is one of the better films I’ve seen all year and is probably a comedy only by premise not the story.
Ryan Gosling is an actor who is not afraid to play odd, different and difficult roles.
Earlier this year I saw him in "Half Nelson" as an addicted school teacher who teaches and is taught by his students. In this film Ryan (Lars) must be someone who is so shut down that he finds solace and companionship in a mannequin.
What is happening in this film is that Ryan’s character is working out how to trust being with another person, another woman. We learn that his mother dies during his childbirth and his father was a horrible dad.
His brother, who lives in the main house, is happily married and his wife is pregnant. She really wants Lars to engage with life more and is the first to support his coming out through Bianca (the mannequin). And although the relationship between Lars and Bianca is chaste the depth of feelings expressed by Lars are real.
Kelli Garner is also wonderful as Margo, the real girl, who wants to have a relationship with Lars and shows a real ability to stay on the edge of a very smart ditsy compassionate girl who knows what she wants.
Overall: This film is only a comedy by premise and really is a wonderful film about someone finding their way out of delusion and into the life of now.