The Inanimate Girlfriend Case: An Analysis of Lars and the Real Girl

Abstract

Films are an important tool in spreading ideas, knowledge and awareness to a wide range of people in a short and concise manner. Spanning across all fields imaginable, there is a wide variety of films which are a treasure trove of knowledge for people to learn and assess. One such field is that of psychology. There have been numerous films depicting various psychological aspects like mental disorders, their treatment and mental health professionals. However, an overwhelming amount of these are negative portrayals, stigmatising and over exaggerating these aspects, and instilling fear and misinformation in the audience. A limited amount of these portray such ideas in a positive light, one of which being Lars and the Real Girl. The film revolves around Lars as he suffers a delusion about an anatomically correct sex doll being a real girl named Bianca. The film shows us his delusion, how he heals his underlying issues with the help of the community and Dr. Dagmar and highlights important aspects like delusional disorder, egocentrism, disillusionment, transitional objects and protective environment among others.