Since he is afraid of people and touch, he finds someone he can have a relationship with in Bianca. Part of the charm with this movie is in watching how his community treats Bianca and Lars. It is a tribute to the power of an entire community surrounding someone and accepting them for who they are. In the end, the town accepts Bianca due to their love and concern for Lars.

Mental Disorders — Lars is obviously a nice, good guy with some mental problems. He treats Bianca as if she were real, and superimposes his issues on her. The film intimates that these issues stem from childhood difficulties that were never properly addressed, and shows how Lars learns to deal with them, and as he does so, becomes a man.

Growing Up — In what is arguably the best scene of the movie, Lars tells his better adjusted older brother that other cultures have an initiation rite of passage into adulthood. He then asks his brother when he knew he was an adult. His brother responds with, “I suppose it was when I started taking responsibility seriously and making decisions based on how they affected others”. In our culture, this is the question youth are asking. “What makes us adults? Is it having sex, smoking or cursing?” It makes me wish there was some kind of rite of passage for young adults. This is a slower, dialogue heavy movie that is driven by excellent acting portraying a complex character. Not the film to watch if you’re in the mood for an action flick, but a great, though-provoking film. Highly Recommended.