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Lars and the Real Girls Essay

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Lars and the Real Girls Essay
Analysis how visual and/or sound and verbal techniques develop an important character

In the film Lars and the real girl by Craig Gillespie, an important character developed is Lars. Lars lives in a tight knit community based in a small American town. Lars has a fear of human contact which results in him suffering form a delusional disorder where he falls I love with, Bianca, a life sized ‘real’ doll. Through his relationship with Bianca he is provided with unconditional love and lack of criticism he desires. This inurn helps him gain confidence he requires to engage in his community and begin to relate to those around him. Gillespie shows the development Lars undergoes through the techniques setting, costume and dialogue.

In the opening-establishing scene we are introduced to images of barren landscapes, harsh white lighting and a thick layer of snow that covers anything vibrant. The ‘cold’, ‘still’ environment provokes a disconsolate mood, which parallels to our first introduction of Lars. We are introduced to Lars through a frosted girded window. The window is symbolic to Lars’s initial mental state, as he appears emotionally frozen. The squares grids on the window enforce a restriction between him and the audience. The dark lighting behind him contrast with the white painted grids on the window, making him look imprisoned this reinforces the literal barriers he puts up from the rest of the community. His facial expression is monotonous which harmonizes with the setting. The barriers put between the audience and Lars is a way Gillespie.

Costume is another technique Gillespie uses to establish Lars personality.in the opening scene Lars is introduced wearing excessive layers of winter jumpers, long trousers, and chunky scarfs. This reinforces the visual barriers Lars puts up due to his fear of literal and emotional human contact. The clothing is all natural tones, the absence of color adds to the ominous feeling

Gillespie uses minimal dialogue to

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