Lars And The Real Girl

Tolerance. Tolerance has always been an interesting subject in my opinion. There are so many different ways to look at it. For one there is the big issue of not judging others for skin color, ethnicities, or what makes us different. Tolerance is a vital virtue for the world to have for us to survive. We need to have people that are willing to accept others with open arms. Then we can look at it as an individual issue. When it comes to family and friends, how far are we willing to go to accept others for who they are? What faults do people have that we look over because we love each other. So then we come across one of my all time favorite movies, Lars And The Real Girl. In my opinion a great movie that everyone should watch and talk about. One of the movies that really hits home for me because I think its message is incredibly important for the world. It was an early experience with Ryan Gosling and an interesting one at that. It is certainly one of the most unique movies you will ever see, but also one of the most challenging, at least if you see it like I do.

Lars And The Real Girl stars Ryan Gosling as Lars, a social awkward man, who has ordered a realistic sex doll, Bianca, as his girlfriend. Using the doll as i gateway to the real world, Lars creates a delusion and the people around him must decide to either put up with it or reject him from the community. Lars' brother Gus has trouble not only understanding but dealing with Bianca while his wife works hard to accept Lars for who he is. Lars must learn how to interact in the real world while at the same time the real world learns to deal with Lars.

The Believer

What makes a person who they are? Is it what they are born into or is it what they make themselves into? Do we define ourselves? These are some of the many questions that The Believer tries to explore in its exploration of character Daniel Balint, a raised orthodox Jew who becomes a Neo-Nazi. I took a course recently, Theologians Under Hitler, where we explored the culture and religion behind the Nazi movement so I was very interested in the subject matter. It is a subject that need careful handling and cannot just be used loosely or else it will come across as an insult; like Life Is Beautiful came across. This was not the only reason I wanted to watch this indie flick from Henry Bean, it was also one of the earliest performances from the astonishing Ryan Gosling. I am a huge fan of his with some of his best performances that include Blue Valentine, Crazy Stupid Love, Half Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl, and of course Drive. I always enjoy seeing great actors and actresses roots and see what made them into the superstars that they are; see also Michael Fassbender and Hunger. So read on if you want to see my thoughts on The Believer...

The Believer follows the tale of Daniel Balint, a passionate Neo-Nazi who is vocal and physical about his beliefs. What makes Daniel stands out from most Neo-Nazis is that he is born Jewish and was raised in a Yeshiva yet still is one of the most anti-semitic characters on film. From the beginning as Daniel physically assaults a Jewish male he sees on the subway, to raising to power in a Fascist organization in hope to being it to America.  While Daniel rises, his inner struggle between his people and his beliefs becomes harder and tougher to deal with. Will Daniel be able to live with his beliefs and his heritage? Will the Fascist organization rise to any power or will Daniel sympathize with his Jewish people?