MovieChat Forums > Lars and the Real Girl (2007) Discussion > Anything to do with Scandinavia?

Anything to do with Scandinavia?

posted 11 years ago by oldyear2005
6 replies | jump to latest

I mean, seriously, characters, nature, lifestyles, attitudes, everything fits perfectly into some small Scandinavian town story, but there is no mention of that in the movie (except for surnames, but that could also be a result of Scandinavian migration overseas long time ago). But really, is there a hidden message regarding the location where the story unfolds?
And it seems that this particular issue is emphasised a lot in the movie, even though it is not explicitly defined. So, any thoughts?

[–] PotassiumMan 11 years ago

Actually, the film takes place in Wisconsin.

[–] t-pellonpaa 11 years ago

As I understand it, the Midwestern United States (which Wisconsin is included in) has quite a significant population with Scandinavian heritage. I don't think there is specifically a hidden message in the movie towards Scandinavia but Wisconsin fits the theme of the movie very well as a surrounding as one could imagine that social awkwardness and pressure is as prevalent there as it is in Scandinavian countries. At least within communities/families that are strongly Scandinavian based (this one seemed to be as the last name of Lars' last name is Lindstrom) Wisconsin's nature and climate seems to fit well with the bittersweet nature of the movie as well.

So I think the reason why the movie has such a strong Scandinavian vibe is just the fact that the writer decided to set it in that specific area of Wisconsin to create an appropriate framing for the story. On top of that the writer is from Massachusetts, which is pretty close to the Midwestern states, and she could quite easily have relatives/friends there or just spent a lot of time there for some other reason.

If you like this American Scandinavian vibe (I sure do!), you really should check out Fargo which takes place in the Midwest as well.

[–] layla52 11 years ago

I'm from Wisconsin and I can vouch for the fact that there is a HUGE Scandinavian heritage here. The majority of the population is Swedish or Norwegian, with quite a few Germans thrown in the mix. Lindstrom is a very common name also.

They actually did a pretty good job of acting like it was Wisconsin (unlike some movies where it's winter in the north and there is green grass outside). But they did screw up one minor detail. In the scene where the women are all knitting, the one lady said that they all brought casseroles. In Wisconsin, that would have been called a hotdish, not a casserole. Just a silly detail that only the locals would probably notice :)

Not sure why it's set in Wisconsin, but Massachusetts is actually about a five hour plane ride away, so not really that close.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] kaljungberg 11 years ago

Hello!
I'm from Stockholm,Sweden and all the names and the strange mood that I'm sure many people thinks is a typical scandinavian thing put on my Volvo/Saab /Scandi-radar..( I'm not sure you understand,but all americanscandinavian heritage is something I see first of all in a scene. Volvo=eastcoast academics and liberals)
I'm not surprised to see that I'm not the only one who noticed all those things.
But modern Swedish society may seems weird because all genderrelated things and so on.
Not even in in the rural areas we are this strange.. Ok..some are,but that thing doesnt care about borders. Crazy,odd peoples are everywhere
Now I have to go back to my doll. She really needs me!

[–] TotheWatersandtheWild 11 years ago

Crazy,odd peoples are everywhere

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