Lars and the Real Girl
Lifelike Positive Transcendence
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16912176 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ted Remington (University of Saint Francis, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2011-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | SAGE Open (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2158-2440 • E-ISSN: 2158-2440 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/2158244011408346 |
| OpenAlex | W2183585144 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 2 |
The 2007 film Lars and the Real Girl challenged viewer’s expectations, not simply through its unusual premise (a man having a relationship with a doll), through its consistent refusal to resolve the plot’s various conflicts through verbal or physical violence. Instead, the plot resolves in a way consistent with what peace researcher Johan Galtung has termed positive transcendence, a means of coming to a resolution that meets the needs of all parties. Although the film’s far-fetched plot makes direct practical application of the characters’ actions unlikely, the film performs a more important role in helping to expand moviegoers’ “horizons of expectation.” By prompting its audience to accept an utterly nonviolent, nonconfrontational resolution to the central conflict of the plot, Lars and the Real Girl subverts the notion that satisfying cinematic endings must involve winners and losers. It helps make room for a greater acceptance of nonviolent resolution of problems in popular film
Developmental psychology · Epistemology · Girl · Premise · Sociology · Cinema and Media Studies · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.29 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2017 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |