Women. They’ve been in rather short supply thus far, but females fill the screen at times in this film. Let’s give them some thought. Pick one of the following:
1. At the funeral for Bianca, Rev. Bock says,”[Bianca] was a teacher, a lesson in courage.” What is the courage he refers to, in your estimation? Have we seen a similar courage in the other films?
2. When Lars introduces Bianca to Gus and Karin, he tells them, “Bianca said that’s why God made her – to help people.” She certainly has an effect on others, but does she help them? And here’s the big question: what is Bianca, ultimately? (Don’t say she’s a sex doll.)
3. When selecting and sequencing these films, we did not anticipate all of the connections that have cropped up. One that figures prominently among the first four films is grief in the wake of the loss (by divorce or death) of a female, either wife or mother. What connections do these stories establish between emotional loss and faith?
4. And here’s one last option, of somewhat broader scope. Nearly all of the characters in the film attend the town’s Lutheran Church. We can say for certain, therefore, that they are church going folk. Are they also faithful people? If so, what does faith look like according to this film?
In regards to Karin, I think Bianca acted as a starter child. She was very maternal with Bianca; she bathed and dressed and helped Bianca be accepted into the community. Karin also protected and defended Bianca to Lars after he got angry about Bianca's busy social schedule. In regards to Gus, when Lars first brings Bianca to Gus and Karin's house, Gus said he would absolutely not participate in fueling Lars delusions about Bianca, and he was pretty adamant about not wanting to get involved with it at all. However, as Bianca stuck around, Gus started help with Bianca, putting her to bed and cleaning her. Through Bianca's arrival, Gus realized how truly lonely Lars was, and how it was partially Gus' fault, because of how he left Lars and his dad the moment he could. Gus didn't seem to really care about Lars' mental and emotional state in the beginning of the movie, but as time passes he begins to really understand how and why Lars is the way he is. I think Bianca is a vehicle for Gus to figure this out, because the way his epiphany is portrayed in the movie makes it seem like this is the first time he's really thought about how his actions effected others
ReplyDeleteQuestion Two:
ReplyDeleteBianca is way more than a sex doll. However, while I think that Lars’s statement about Bianca turns out to be correct, it would be a stretch to attribute it to the darling plastic girl. Bianca’s effect on others comes from their own selves. It would be beyond easy for the church-goers to condemn Lars and his curious new romance, but they find the understanding and compassion within themselves to be incredibly supportive. Although they always had the ability to be that kind of friend and neighbor, Bianca brings it out of them. This is true for Lars too. Until Bianca arrives, he spends every minute alone and Karin and Gus have to literally jump in front of cars to interact with him. When Bianca enters their lives, Lars is suddenly at their house every night and morning. Bianca to Lars is a crutch to reenter the real world—she protects him at parties and at the breakfast table, and gives him a companion when he feels most alone. To the neighbors, Karin, and Gus, she is more a catalyst. When she enters their lives, she catalyzes the helpfulness and kindness that helps Lars heal from his emotional issues and gives them a real, if bizarre, way to help Lars. Bianca is sort of a half-way point between the inner turmoil in Lars and the orderly and sensible lives of his community—she allows Lars to reach out in a small way, while permitting the community to reach in and help him through her by making her a part of the community’s hospital, retail industry, and schools. In this way, they help Lars be a part of it too. Bianca does help everyone, because she is a link between Lars and his community, as well as a way for everyone to be their best selves.
Bianca gave Lars the courage to interact with other people. Before Bianca came into his life Lars he didn't know how to interact with other people nor did he want to. Bianca with time gave him the courage and a chance to be apart of the community because of all the activities Bianca was involved in. Bianca even though she was fake she brought a whole community together. Lars was an outcast, or least so it seemed at the beginning of the movie, but the town showed they cared for Lars because if i was there i don't know if i would have been able to go long with that. They showed that Lars was an important member of the community and if the sex doll was going to help him they were willing to go along with it. And also at the Lars showed courage because he didn't need Bianca anymore and he killed her off on his own because he wanted to get the his coworker, and that might not have happened without the help of Bianca.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question one, the courage that Reverend Block speaks of is the courage that Bianca gave to Lars while they were together. She taught him not to be afraid of people, especially the touch of another man or woman. Although she is only a doll, she showed Lars a different side of people, a side he would have never seen if she never arrived. Lars begins the movie as a hermit, he never wants to go outside, visit his family, or interact with people at work or church. When Bianca arrives, he feels as if he has someone to always protect and understand him, she doesn’t argue with him, all she can do is listen. The fact that the movie takes places in a small, religious mid-western community is important to the plot. When Bianca arrives, the community has to make a choice, do take a leap of faith and forget their Christian beliefs and try to understand Lars or do they blacklist him? Bianca gives them courage to step out of their comfort zone to give Lars a chance to be happy. The community goes above and beyond to make Lars feel that Bianca is welcome and loved, giving her a haircut, a job at the hospital, and even reading to the elementary children. Bianca gives Lars the love he never experienced as a child, and this love causes him to truly look at the world around him. The courage that Bianca gives to Lars is similar to the courage that Walt gives to Tao in “Grand Torino”. Walt teaches Tao how to be man and stand up for his family and without this courage Tao’s family would not have survived the violent attacks by his cousin’s gang. Bianca courage is the kind that brings new life to a community, the same kind of courage that allows Taos family a second chance.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1:
ReplyDeleteBianca taught the community courage in that the people had the courage to look past the stupidity and ridiculousness of the situation and do what was right for Lars. Early in the movie the brother talks about how stupid this is going to look to everybody. They must have the courage to step out of their comfort zone completely, and live in Lars’s reality. The meeting in the basement with people from the community was the pivotal moment where they decided to take on the enormous challenge of treating a sex doll as their peer for the sake of Lars’s sanity. It kind of reminded me of the scene in the Lord of The Rings when they form the fellowship of the ring at the council of Elrond; they know that it is a daunting and grueling road ahead of them, but they do it for the greater good. I wish they would have shown the e-mail that the family sent out telling everyone in the town about Lars’s “new friend,” because I was surprised at just how accepting everybody was with the situation. Sure, it was pretty awkward at the party scene but just a few days later and it’s all gravy.
Bianca ultimately becomes a transitional object for Lars, like a teddy bear and a young child. Lars holds his baby blanket that his mother made for him very dear to his heart in the beginning. The blanket is a symbol of security and reassurance for Lars that, unlike most children, could never give up. However, as the movie progresses he wears the blanket less and less around him. He often puts the blanket on or around Bianca. Lars transfers the meaning of the blanket onto Bianca, as though she is a living doll. Unlike his blanket, Lars cannot control Bianca. As she integrates into the community, she becomes busy and uncontrollable to Lars. Lars begins to understand that Bianca is not his, like his blanket is his. In order for Bianca and Lars to work though his dilution the community must accept what he is doing, and ultimately does. The community acts as a mother to Lars by protecting him from having to deal with aspects of reality that he is not ready to deal with yet. Lars grows up, no longer needing Bianca as a tool for communication and security. Her death helped allow him to work through the death of both his mother and father, freeing him from his dilution. At the funeral the baby blanket is not seen on him or Bianca, showing how much Lars has grown. He was able to let go of his security device completely and was able to let go of Bianca.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the movie, Bianca certainly helps a lot of people. She is a sex doll, true, but she is also a projection of Lars’s subconscious mind which he uses, first and foremost, to confront and get over his own problems. Bianca’s life details reflect the obstacles and catchups in Lars’s past and in his life. With the therapist’s assistance, Bianca helps Lars. In addition to helping Lars over some mental roadblocks, Bianca pulls Lars’s fractured family together, bringing him closer to his brother and his brother’s wife just in time for the baby. Bianca helps Gus realize the importance of his relationship with his brother. Throughout the movie, people other than Lars take the liberty of speaking for Bianca. The women who take her to volunteer get to act for Bianca, getting to briefly play a role other than their own. Bianca seems to bring out the best in the townspeople. Through her, they read to children and try daring new style changes. Bianca begets possibilities. She stirs up excitement in the town. At the very least, Bianca presents a strange new phenomenon: Lars’s eccentric mental illness. Bianca personifies Lars’s illness, making his instability attractive. Bianca gives people the opportunity for an escape from rigid sanity. She gives everyone a chance to play along, to conspire in a whimsical, fantastic scheme. While livening up the town, Bianca gives people opportunity to support Lars and breeds a sense of community.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Question 2:
ReplyDeleteBianca ultimately symbolizes the town’s love for Lars. Despite the fact that she is literally a sex doll, the entire town binds together to make Bianca feel “welcome” and treats her like a real girl. People carry Bianca up and down stairs, bathe her, clothe her, and even invite her to parties or charity events. Through the town’s love for Lars, Bianca is transformed into a real girl. Lars finally becomes aware of the amount of people that care for him when he fights with Karin. After realizing how much all of his friends and family have struggled to care for Bianca, Lars slowly begins to feel less lonely and isolated and instead becomes more social. Bianca’s constant companionship becomes less of a comfort to Lars, and eventually, Bianca is no longer needed at all. Bianca helps Lars fill the emptiness and loneliness of his life and helps him realize that he in fact was never alone to begin with. However, Bianca does not only affect Lars life, but rather all of the townspeople’s lives as well. As a result of Bianca, the whole town learns the power of acceptance and friendship in the face of trouble. Through everyone’s undying support, Lars slowly loses his delusion and returns to reality a changed and happier man.
I definitely think that Bianca has an effect as well as helpful things for the entire town. She obviously helps Lars girl up and learn to love and show/have feelings like affection for people in the town, human or not. She the helps Gus because he realizes and feels responsible for how Lars have grown up and this makes it where Lars and Gus's relationship is so much better. I then think she helps the whole of the town realize that this guy Lars, now matter how weird he may seem, really isnt that bad of a guy because he is nice and knows now how to truly love something or someone. Bianca and the doctor also help Lars to become okay with people touching him. He can let people, like Margo, touch him and then he doesn't feel pain.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2:
ReplyDeleteI think that Bianca helps the town be more accepting and open. As we see in the opening of the film, when the lady outside of the church asks Lars if he is gay, the town Lars and Bianca live in holds somewhat traditional religious values regarding sexuality. They certainly don't take too well to such an overt symbol of carnal love being so present in Lars' life and theirs. But the fact remains that Lars' relationship with Bianca is only platonic, Bianca provides an outlet that lets Lars finally overcome the fears and demons of his past that define him. Given that through the commotion around Bianca, Lars is exposed to the greater community around him, Bianca serves as a sort of outlet for his emotions and past, rather than his lustful and frustrated desires.
Sorry not done yet. I think ultimately Bianca is a coping mechanism for Lars for his troubling childhood, and for him not feeling loved by anyone. This is because after he goes bowling with Margo, he realizes that he is in love with her and from then on everything with Bianca is downhill because he slowly doesnt need this coping mechanism anymore. And so Lars's mind kills off or does away with Bianca and it learns to live on its own so Lars can live with Margo. Now though, I have a completely unrelated question which I will a,so ask in class tomorrow which is: what about Karin's baby, because I think that might be the first movie I've ever seen where we had a character who was pregnant but didn't ever give birth in the movie.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2:
ReplyDeleteBianca certainly has an effect on the community as a whole rather than only Lars. While may not be literally 'sent from god', she certainly arrives and helps people. Lars undoubtedly has a problem at the beginning of the film. However, throughout the movie we see that he begins to attend social events and become more social with others. The only thing that has changed in his life is the fact he now has a sex doll he carries around as his girlfriend. This leads us to believe that Bianca is what ultimately changes Lars for the better. Bianca is a product of a man who needs some sort of intervention he is not receiving and therefor copes by creating a delusion.
Finally! 4. It is apparent to me that the people Lars’s unnamed hometown are faithful people. When Karin and Gus meet with Revered Bock and the other church leaders, the pastor challenges everyone to ask him/herself: What would Jesus do? Amazingly, the townspeople seem to act accordingly. There is nothing more strange or demanding than what the community is asked to do but because they are people of faith and who love Lars deeply, they go along with his delusion. Faith, according to the film, is sacrificing for the people we love and being unafraid of what others will think. Faith is withholding judgment and supporting others no matter what. Faith is challenging in a whole host of ways: emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, yet, there is nothing more important. When I got confirmed, I was asked to write a statement of faith and, in composing it, I came across a quote that I think describes faith very accurately: “Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof” –Kahil Gibran. In Lars and the Real Girl, the entire town has to have blind faith in Lars because there is a chance that, even if they go along with his delusion, he will never grow past it. It is clear that the people of Lars’s hometown are people of faith because they decide that, despite the challenges they will face and the fact that there is no guaranteed positive outcome, they will support Lars and try their best to do as Jesus would, and help Lars heal.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4:
ReplyDeleteReligious faith and general faith are two very different things, but in this movie the two combine. In my mind, religious faith means belief in a god, or higher power at work. General faith, though, is faith in people, and in their capabilities. Lars' brother has trouble finding it in himself to go along with Bianca, because he can't get past the fact that his little brother is mentally sick. Dagmar, on the other hand, doesn't see it as sickness, but coping. Lars is a little different mentally, and creating Bianca is his way of coping with what I assume is fear of Karin dying in childbirth. I think he is also using her to work out is sadness of losing his father, and other dark times from his past, unconsciously of course. The people in the town also accept Lars' situation, and immediately accept Bianca. At first they are hesitant, but then (here comes religious faith), the preacher asks, "what would Jesus do?" Of course, that is what turns everyone because they believe that Jesus would have accepted Bianca. Dagmar, and the rest of the town, accepting Bianca is their own personal faith that, somehow, this will help Lars get through whatever it is he is having trouble with.
1. At the funeral for Bianca, Rev. Bock says,”[Bianca] was a teacher, a lesson in courage.” What is the courage he refers to, in your estimation? Have we seen a similar courage in the other films?
ReplyDeleteAt Bianca's funeral when Rev. Bock says " (Bianca) was a teacher, a lesson in courage", I believe he is referring to Bianca getting the entire town to look past the fact that she is an inanimate object. She was courageous because she was completely different from everyone else in the town, yet she somehow became valued by the town because she was incredibly important to Lars. She was real to him. Sometimes being courageous means doing your own thing and looking past what people are used to. Fortunately, the town ended up getting used to Bianca. So much so that they held a proper funeral for her upon her departure. This completely embodies Bianca as courageous because at the beginning of the movie when the church people met in the basement and decided how they would handle the 'situation', not everyone was on board with treating her like a real person. But by being courageous and doing something different, the town got to experience something completely new outside of their comfort zone.