Reviews

Every once in a while something happens that leaves me feeling really happy. Being someone who appreciates the little things in life it's not surprising that the things that make me smile are always things that most people don't care about or don't even notice for that matter. A friendly smile in a place packed with intimidating faces perhaps, or a stranger offering you their hand when you fall, or a song that you can relate to. What other people may regard as trivial are at times the things that make my day and keep me going in this world full of self-obsessed, cold, hardened people who have forgotten what life is supposed to be about…helping others.

Or maybe that's just my take on life because I cannot bear to think that our entire existence could actually be based around selfishness and doing whatever it takes and hurting whoever we must to get ourselves to wherever we want to be in life. Who knows…perhaps I'm delusional.

Anyway, to get to the point of this note…what made me smile this time was rather unusual; a film about a young man and a 'real doll'. I went into the cinema expecting a mindless comedy about a sex-crazed weirdo obsessed with a sex doll. 'Lars and the Real Girl' was thankfully far from what I anticipated it was going to be about.

Ryan Gosling convincingly plays Lars - a very sweet young man confused by life and scared of people. In order to make himself feel better, Lars creates a character he can trust and truly rely on…Bianca the 'real doll'. Bianca listens to Lars's problems and cares for him unlike the other people in his life…his mum who didn't have the opportunity to do so because she died during childbirth and his older brother who left home as soon as he could because he couldn't cope with her death and their father's state after it.

Lars uses Bianca as a medium to show everyone he exists and wants to be accepted. The story is sad, funny and most importantly one that highlights one of the basic needs in life…love. The film in my opinion is there to remind us that love is to be shared…life should not be about selfishness. It won't kill any of us to offer our hand to those that need to be pulled up…and a smile goes a long while. There's something for everyone to think about…I hope it makes some sense to some people at least. Whether you understand what I'm on about or not...please take the time out to go and see 'Lars and the Real Girl'. You will all leave to cinema smiling…I promise.

Hello,

I would just like to say a few things about this film. I went to see this a few days ago and all I can say is, it is just fantastic. I am a citizen of both Turkey and England and I know exactly how it feels to be torn between two cultures and how difficult it is for people like us to fit in and express ourselves. There is just no middle ground between two completely different worlds, and as a result so many youths go to such extremes whilst they are in a state of complete confusion.

In my opinion the film is not about a nymphomaniac as some people seem to think so. It is about a young, confused lady who wants to find her identity. All she wants is a bit of affection and someone to look after her. Her family do none of these things and as a result lead her to attempt suicide.

This highlights a very important truth about some Turkish families who try to 'protect' their children so much that they end up suffocating them and driving the children into hating their lives.

Faith Akin puts this across beautifully in his film. The performance of the actors, especially that of his lead stars; Sibel Kekilli and Birol Unel is brilliant. It has been a while since I have seen such a well made film, and the fact that the director is a young Turkish person is fantastic.

The film is one of love, hope and disasters. At times it has you crying, whilst at other times you can't help but smile.

This film won many awards, and in my opinion it deserves every single one. The fact that Sibel Kekilli has a history in porn films caused a massive fuss (especially amongst the Turkish viewers), but can I just say that her past is of no concern to us. The only thing we should be worried about whilst watching the film is her acting. Everyone that has seen it will agree that she is a fantastic actress, which is the only thing that matters. Those who have not yet seen it should definitely do so.

Congratulations to Akin for presenting us with such a great film.