MovieChat Forums > Lars and the Real Girl (2007) Discussion > Autism?

Autism?

posted 14 years ago by elizabethlaycak
16 replies | jump to latest

Finally watched Lars all the way through the other night. I can honestly say that the film made me want to be a better person. If there was a Lars in my neighborhood, I never would have thought to help him. Yet, this story is filled with people who care enough to change their way of life to help someone with their problems. Anyway- I was sure the doctor was going to diagnose him with some form of Autism. Smart but detached, and incapable of human connection. If anyone knows the story of Temple Grandin, I kind of saw the doll as his hug machine. I thought this could be a possibility what with the recent rise in autism, 1 in every 100 children? Also, for a while doctors believed autism was brought on by a lack of early childhood bonding with the mother or father.

[–] dreeny 14 years ago

I do not think Lars has autism. He is socially inept. He dealt with his mother's death through Bianca's (the doll's) own death. After that, it seemed like he was ready to move on with his life.
I've worked with a variety of people with autism and though it can be tempting to think Lars has it, he really doesn't completely fit the symptoms. Lars was able to do a number of things. He bonded with other people through Bianca's existence.
It's not that Lars was "incapable" of human connection. The movie led me to believe that he was capable but very uncomfortable.
Also it has been proven that autism is not caused by a lack of early bonding with the parents. Temple Grandin's mother certainly gave her a lot of love and attention growing up, to name an example.

[–] elizabethlaycak 14 years ago

Great points. I like how interpreted the movie and I agree. Also, I don't believe the whole "mother bonding" thing with Autism. But I do believe that screen writers like to take liberties ;)

[–] lachie_inc 14 years ago

I would say he more likely has aspergers

[–] laurendorward-990-190608 13 years ago

Nothing like aspergers, like at all

[–] zigenlady 13 years ago

The doctor/psychologist didn't find any sort of mental impairment/chemical imbalance in his mind, so it's not possible for him to have Autism.
I'd blame his condition on childhood traumas. It was implied a lot throughout the film and the portion where they talk about his fear/physical pain when people touch him wanted to lead me to believe that he might have even been abused by his father in the past (I mean his Dad was said to be solitary so obviously he received no affection and touch-fear could easily be a product of that with a mix of abuse)
I'm going off on a tangent here though...

[–] Pumpyjones 13 years ago

Autism isn't a chemical imbalance, its adevelopmental delay, and many people with autism who have a touch aversion have described being touched as painful. Some need deep pressure andwe joy beingroughed deeply, and some wince when you graze their arm. I actually haven't seen this film yet, so I can't say whether he has it or not, but I was referred to this film by a number of people within the autism community as a great film about neurodiversity, so obviously it's hitting a nerve with people there.

I also want to point out to the other people that autism does NOT mean you're incapable of having a connection or attachments with people, though it does make it more difficult to express how you feel and possibly more difficult to form attachments because some people don't have the patience or desire to look past some odd or unconventional behavior to make a connection with THEM. I'm speaking about higher functioning people with autism or people with Aspergers. It's difficult to know how more severe ASD people feel since they have trouble communicating.

I say this as a mom to two kids on the spectrum, one only slightly delayed and one with classic Aspergers. The Aspie is more affectionate and loving than any kid I've ever met, and so connected to his whole family that he screams "yay" and jumps up and down every time he finds one of his grandparents have skyped to speak with him. Not trying to lecture, but it always hurts me when I hear people make these sweeping statements about a lack of connection. Every person with autism is different.

[–] madameduran 13 years ago

Why do people make the assumption that if someone shows symptoms of detachment or has difficulty in connecting with others that they "must" be autistic? Those general indicators could also describe a whole list of problems ranging from something as mild as shyness, to clinical depression, social anxiety or to something more extreme as psychopathic behaviour. The difference lies with either the cause of the behaviour (psychological, biological => neurological/genetics, learned patterns) or how that 'detachment' is expressed. Beware the perils of armchair psychology!

I think the movie is quite clear in explaining why Lars is the way he is. No guesswork or presumption is needed; it's revealed right in the dialogue! His behaviour was the result of childhood trauma that he didn't cope with/adjust to that well. Why some people insist on believing Lars is something that clearly he's not is beyond me. Lars was able to overcome his deepest fear (albeit slowly) by the end of the film. One can't "grow out" of autism.

[–] Pumpyjones 13 years ago

Well, I haven't seen it yet, but I agree with what you're saying about autism symptoms matching many different disorders. I think that's also the case with symptoms within autism-- like when my son's OT and PT were arguing about the nature of my little guy's toe-walking.

I will say, this film is very popular with the autism community, which is why I came to check out the board. I was wondering if it was really about a guy with autism. Seems like they leave it ambiguous, but since it looks like a good film, I'll have to check it out and judge for myself. I don't really think it matters if he is or isn't. The character could be both autistic and emotionally disturbed, for all we know. The two are not mutually exclusive.

[–] leannetjuh 13 years ago

Thank God some people do know what they're talking about. It annoys the crap out of me that anybody with social problems is called an aspi these days. People should just stfu if they don't know what they're talking about. Good reply!

[–] bradjanet 12 years ago

Recent research shows that, though it sounds improbable, a strong suspect in the causation of regressive autism is neurological damage caused by toxins from atypical intestinal flora, especially Sutterella ... strong gains have been made recently by treating with probiotics. Sounds unlikely I know :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVCVtwfMJlQ

But you ARE Blanche ... and I AM.

[–] nfldpunk 12 years ago

One of the main things that points expecially toward childhood traumas, is that he carries his baby blanket around everywhere with him. Either he uses it as a lap blanket for Bianca, or he wears it as a scarf. It is almost always with him.

Children who become attached to blankets or stuffed toys are using them as "transitional objects", objects that help them comfort themselves in the absence of a parent. Lars carrying his blanket was a very telling thing. Bianca also acts as a transitional object in Lars being able to navigate into adulthood and personal relationships, she helped soothe him when he didn't know how to react in social situations.

[–] sarahjane_suddick-35-234676 13 years ago

That's what I was beginning to think. Lars avoided eye contact, felt physical pain when someone touched him, kept a bare house and avoided any social situation.

I felt that he used 'Bianca' as an attachment object, in the same way a child used a doll or teddy, as a way to feel comfortable in public situations (the party he wasn't going to etc).

I'm not sure this could be classed as a comedy but I felt it was well done and didn't 'ridicule' Lars.

[–] asdf189756 12 years ago

there are a couples of things which could make you think lars was autistic the main one being he described light touch as painful. however the doctor did not diagnose it and delusions are not a symptom of autism.

I would doubt that he had aspergers as he showed empathy towards others such as in the teddy bear scene where he could see she was upset and went to make her feel better

[–] OccasionalPoster 11 years ago

This post actually happens to come from an actual Aspie and I have to say, from the beginning, I somewhat wondered if Lars maybe had a disorder like Asperger’s Syndrome. He seemed to have the traits for it, but he wasn’t entirely vicious either. I could see myself somewhat through Lars' character, yet I'm so high-functioning, you can barely tell. Never in a million years would I buy a life-sized doll though. Currently, I'm a college student and whenever I've told people in my college that I have the disorder, they're often surprised and they saying things like, "Wow, I never knew" and "Wow, I could barely tell."

Then again, look at my history.

It is heartbreaking to see characters on screen who hit you close to home, but fortunately, this film wasn't so heavy handed either. That is what I liked about Lars and the Real Girl.

[–] sam_fringo 11 years ago

Why does everyone think Ryan Gosling's characters in every one of his movies has autism (incl. Drive)

[–] RvaBread22 11 years ago

I'm not sure if he is autistic or not, but as a high functioning aspie, I could relate very well to the main character in the film. His issue with touch and sensory for one . I have a stuffed bunny that I keep with me. I don't have a romantic relationship with her, though. But some of the things seemed to resonate with me. I also enjoyed "Mozart and The Whale" for the same reason.