Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

           Lars (played by Ryan Gosling) is a pathologically shy individual who at age twenty-seven barely speaks or makes eye contact. He still carries his baby blanket. He resists all the loving overtures of his brother and sister-in-law. He even buys a life-size sex doll named "Bianca" and treats her like a real person. When the doctor urges his family to indulge his delusions, they exclaim with exasperation, "but the doll's not real!" To which the doctor replies, "of course she's real." Lars and his brother suffered painful family issues, but maybe Lars is no more crazy, says one person, than your cousin who dresses his cat, or brother who gives money to the UFO society. The church plays a positive role in this movie, and in one scene the parishioners are urged to love one another, because love is the main point of the gospel. This is a clever movie about love, loneliness, and community. For a similar take on this subject, see the 2013 movie Her, about a man who falls in love with the voice avatar on his cell phone.