Lars and the real bills
Tuesday, March 31 2009
A few days ago the Deputy Minister for Cultural Affairs and I watched “Lars and the Real Girl“. It’s great – funny, moving*, and well-acted.
It’s about a guy who is sick. Lars is mentally ill, and he gets treatment from a doctor, played by Patricia Clarkson. The doctor comes off as the most sensitive and compassionate person in the universe; I found myself wishing all doctors could be like that. And one of the things she does in her treatment is to work within the delusion Lars has created to help him find a path to reality.
I’m getting to something that might be considered a spoiler, so if you haven’t seen the film, you might stop here.
If you’ve seen the movie, you know the delusion is pretty far reaching – including, ultimately, an ambulance ride for the “Real Girl”. At which point, the Deputy Minister for Cultural Affairs blurted out, “Whose insurance is paying for that?”
It’s one of those comments that probably doesn’t mean much to most people, but it’s dead on – and it made me laugh.
(*Update: I realize that I subconsciously copied the blurb on the box. In my defense, “funny” and “moving” do describe the film aptly. Also “whimsical”.)
