Tuesday, April 5, 7:00 pm
Ethics Film Series

Lars and the Real Girl is a dramatic comedy about a socially inept man who develops a relationship with a lifelike doll he orders online. The movie focuses on the impact this has on the lives of his family and their town.

Post-film discussion was led by students from Team Kenan, focusing on the nature of reality and our collective obligations when it comes to indulging others’ notions of reality.

This event was presented in conjunction with the Center for Documentary Studies, the Arts of the Moving Image Program, and Duke’s Screen/Society.

Synopsis:
(Craig Gillespie, 2007, 1 hour 46 minutes)

Written by Six Feet Under scribe Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl features Lars Lindstrom as a loveable introvert whose emotional baggage has kept him from fully embracing life. After years of what is almost solitude, he invites Bianca, a friend he met on the internet, to visit him. He introduces Bianca to his brother and sister-in-law and they don’t know what to say—because she is a life-size doll, not a real person, and he is treating her as though she is alive.  What follows is an emotional journey for Lars and the people around him.

• Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) (nominee)
• Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Ryan Gosling, nominee)
• Satellite Award for Best Picture — Musical or Comedy (nominee)
• Satellite Award for Best Actor — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Ryan Gosling, winner)
• Satellite Award for Best Actress — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Emily Mortimer, nominee)
• Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay (nominee)
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (Ryan Gosling, nominee)
• Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay (nominee)
• National Board of Review Award for Best Original Screenplay (winner, tied with Juno)
• Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (Ryan Gosling, nominee)
• BFCA Critics’ Choice Award for Best Writer (nominee)
• Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (Ryan Gosling, nominee)
• Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Director (nominee)