|
Lars Lindstrom lives a
secluded life in a small northern town. His mother died when he was born,
causing his grief-stricken father to have been a distant parent to Lars
and his older brother, Gus. Gus carries guilt for having left the
desperate family situation as soon as he could support himself; Lars
struggles with the loss of his mother during his birth and an irrational
fear about the risk of death during childbirth. As a result, he exhibits
avoidance behaviors and haphephobia, causing social awkwardness and
isolation.
Having inherited the family home after their father's death, the two
brothers both live on the property along with Gus' wife, Karin. Lars lives
in the converted garage, while Gus and Karin, who is pregnant with their
first child, live in the house proper. Despite Karin's efforts to bring
Lars out of his shell, interacting with or relating to his family and
co-workers is very difficult for him. A colleague at his office, Margo,
also tries to engage him, but Lars is impervious to Margo's attempts to be
friendly.
One evening, Lars happily announces to Gus and Karin that he has a visitor
whom he met online, a wheelchair-mobile missionary of Brazilian and Danish
descent named Bianca. The pair are startled to discover that Bianca is
actually a lifelike doll, ordered from an adult website, whom Lars treats
as a live human being. Concerned about his mental health, Gus and Karin
convince Lars to take Bianca to see the family doctor, Dagmar Berman, who
is also a psychologist. Berman diagnoses Bianca with low blood pressure
and urges Lars to return under the guise of "weekly treatments" for
Bianca, while actually analyzing Lars to get to the root of his behavior.
Berman explains to Gus and Karin that Lars' delusion is a manifestation of
an underlying problem that needs to be addressed, and that they need to
assist with Lars' therapy by continuing to treat Bianca as if she were
real. During this time, Margo has begun to date another co-worker, which
silently bothers Lars.
Eventually, Lars introduces Bianca as his girlfriend to his co-workers and
various townspeople. Sympathetic to Lars, the town inhabitants react to
the doll as if she were real, however in order to reduce Lars' dependence
on her, they start filling her "schedule" with social events and volunteer
programs. This also has the effect of forcing Lars to interact more with
the townspeople. When Margo reveals to Lars she has broken up with her
boyfriend, Lars agrees to go bowling with her while Bianca attends a
school board meeting; later they are joined by more friends. The evening
represents Lars beginning to bond with others and communicate more
socially.
One morning, Gus and Karin are awakened by a panicked Lars, alarmed
because Bianca is unresponsive, and she is rushed to the hospital. After
Lars tells Gus and Karin that Bianca is dying, Berman explains that Lars
alone has made these decisions about Bianca's future. The news spreads
through town, and the neighbors come to realize what this means in
relation to Lars' recovery. During a last visit to the lake, Gus and Karin
witness a despondent Lars in the water with a "dying" Bianca.
Bianca's funeral is well-attended by the townspeople; after Bianca is
buried, Lars and Margo linger at the gravesite. When Margo suggests they
catch up with the others, Lars asks if she would like to take a walk. She
accepts. |
Optimised for Google Chrome
