Spinning Reels is proud to bring to the Norwood Theatre 3 Craig Gillespie’s sweet debut feature Lars and the Real Girl, a rare tour de force that combines impeccable performances and a masterful script, for one night only, Monday, March 10.

Set in a small town during a typically snowy winter (sound familiar?) Lars Lindstrom (Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling, The Notebook, Half Nelson) is an awkward young man who lives in the garage beside his deceased father’s house. His brother and sister-in-law (Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer) would like to see him settled down and raising a family (especially after years of living under the shadow of his taciturn widower father), but Lars’ social life consists primarily of attending church. His family is overjoyed then, when Lars announces he has met a special someone. Delight quickly turns to panic when the new GF arrives.

Although lovely in her own way, Bianca is, in fact, a life-sized doll and clearly, Lars has lost his mind. On the advice of a doctor (Patricia Clarkson, Dogville, All the King’s Men), his family agrees to play along and pretend that Lars’ lady friend is real in the hope of helping him work through his issues. Ultimately, the local community also responds with surprising compassion, welcoming the new couple as Bianca goes bowling and starts a career as a model.

What might have been a tiresome one-joke flick is actually a nuanced and heartbreaking (yet still hilarious) tale of a damaged person’s struggle to come to terms with past traumas. Lars and the Real Girl received overwhelming critical acclaim after its world premiere at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, and the script, written by Nancy Oliver (Six Feet Under) was nominated for an Oscar.

Spinning Reels is a Bracebridge-based, non-profit volunteer organization affiliated with the Film Circuit, a division of The Toronto International film Festival Group dedicated to bringing alternative films to smaller communities across Canada and around the world.

The group anticipates an exceptional turnout for The Kite Runner on March 24, and two screenings are scheduled, at 7 and 9:15 p.m.

Spinning Reels tickets are $7 and can be purchased in advance at Readers’ World. See you at the movies.