Lars feeling Pain upon touch. Why?

I'm with the psychological approach. He didn't really feel pain; he had such severe intimacy issues that he didn't want people near him, let alone touching him, lest they leave him.

His brother had one way of coping with their family pain: he just distanced himself and figured things out on his own. Lars, however, was so affected by their history and their father's distance that he shut people out so he wouldn't have to get near anybody. I have a friend kind of like that: he wants to know as many people as possible, but he's admitted himself that he doesn't want to get close to them so the pain of losing friends and acquaintances is dulled. Lars seems the same way: he's friendly with people, but so scared of loving and losing that he shuts himself out completely so he doesn't have to feel pain again. That was the point of Bianca: someone who would never hurt him or leave him, and who he could let go of on his own terms.

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Many people had touched on the Autism question. I don't think it's Autism if it was it would have to be very mild Aspergers. I know from lots of time with adults with Aspergers that from the way that he holds conversations with other people, shakes hands and makes decent eye contact Autism wouldn't make sense. Just saying. Nor do I think he was making it up either, it was something akin to Asperger (Not sure what or even if there is such a thing) but with less of a social difficulty.

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Chloe Ben

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

~When Harry Met Sally~

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Lars is clearly on the autistic spectrum (mild autism at worst, severe asperger's at best).

It sounds like you're trying to give a medical diagnosis for a FICTIONAL character and pass it off as FACT. I'm sorry but unless the character description or movie script actually SAYS Lars has autism, that detail is left up the viewer's own interpretation/imagination. For you to come along and dictate "LARS IS AUTISTIC. THIS IS THE ONLY CORRECT INTERPRETATION" on a debatable point is laughable. We all impose our experiences and knowledge to the movies we watch. Some people will pick up things that others won't notice. This is also why some films resonate deeply with some and not with others. Generally speaking, I don't question people's interpretation of a film (I sometimes gain new insights from them) BUT when it comes to basic information about the characters, setting, plot, etc. that is plainly given, there isn't any room for discussion. The autism angle isn't as "clear" as you make it out to be.

When I watched the movie, I didn't see Lars as being autistic at all. I saw him as an extremely shy man with emotional baggage from his past; he had developed a psychological problem that manifested itself in his relationship with a sex doll he named Bianca. This is all backed up by what was actually revealed in the film. Given his personal history, I believe Lars's hypersensitivity to touch is more emotional/psychologically related than based on biologic/neurological factors (i.e. autism). As a previous poster explained, he was afraid of intimacy because it meant that he would be vulnerable to the pain of losing that thing he loved the most (which reminded him of his painful childhood).

Remember when Lars held the girl's hand at the end of the film? If his hypersensitivity was a physical disorder, wouldn't he flinch or cry out in pain? But he didn't. That gesture (hand holding) was a MAJOR sign of progression for him. He was going beyond his initial fears and emotional distance from people. He was, in effect, taking a risk for love. The film implies that Lars was on the beginning of a new journey (where one would hope he'd steadily grow out of hermit-like existence). One doesn't "grow out" of autism. Early intervention helps the autistic person to better manage their lives and become functional within social norms...but the autism is still there. If Lars was autistic, it would stand to reason that his hypersensitivity or social awkwardness would be a permanent challenge.

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