just watched lars and the real girl.

my mom kept coming in and out of the room commenting that he was sick. i finally had to ask her to either stop judging the character and pay attention, or leave. she left.

but my dad, who hadn't been paying attention to it at first (reading the newspaper), stayed up past his bedtime to finish the whole movie.

weird movie, he said near the end as the fake girl was dying and the town rallied behind lars.

it's a sweet movie, i said.

everyone in it is so nice and kind. even the guys who show up in the bowling alley who you think are going to do something destructive are kind and accepting. it really says a lot that we, as the viewer, are surprised when people are given the opportunities to be cruel, but they're not. at least for me, it made me realize how little kindness we expect from our fellow man when it comes to acceptance of things that are out of the ordinary or vulnerable. it's a movie that has a lot of heart. i really appreciate it for that.

i liked this film a lot. my dad grumbled at the end about it being weird again, but i could tell he was touched. it has such a positive message, about psychological pain and the process of healing...how someone who has a lot of love (even if wounded) will attract others capable of love and in turn, they heal each other. i think it's important to see this cycle in action.

i think while the primary objective of film or any mass media can be for entertainment or education, if a message is skillfully conveyed, it's capable of healing on a very subtle but dynamic level. i'm thankful tonight that the filmmakers were able to get this movie made, and that i watched it with my dad at a time in which we were both open and in need of this message.