Blue Valentine is a love story that is not too pleasant to sit through. It is an uncompromising portrayal of marriage showcased in a form that shines light on the more brutal and inconvenient truth of how love is more complex than many people realize. In the world of Hollywood, many viewers have been accustomed with romantic tales that tap into the comfortable fantasies of love always been an adventure to the point where happy endings are almost always expected. Thus, many tend to be blind of the agonizing truth about how marriage is complicated in a way that is beyond our understanding. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, the film unravels a gritty testament of the tragedy that lies within a relationship between a husband and wife, and is driven by uncompromising performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams who simply grab at your heart and never let go. Although the story is not a total downer, it nonetheless holds no bars on evoking a frown upon your face. This film follows Dean (played by Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (played by Michelle Williams), a married couple raising their five- year old daughter Frankie (played by Faith Wladyka). Dean is a high school dropout working as package handler for a moving company, while Cindy is nurse with more healthy habits unlike her husband who enjoys smoking and drinking early in the morning before heading off to work. At first, the couple appears to be enduring an normal, everyday marriage before the story dives into the downward spiral the two are facing as they go for a night-out in attempt to save their marriage. In the process, the story is intertwined with moments of when the two first met as young adults in their early twenties.
Anyone who grows in expecting a light-hearted love story with an infectious romantic tone is in rude awakening. This movie provides a powerful and unsettling portrayal on the scorching complexity of marriage, and the events that transpire draw distressing parallels to the harsh reality of how marriage unravels in today's society, especially with the steadily rising rate of marriages ending in divorce. Amidst Derek Cianfrance's provocative storytelling, the driving forces behind this emotionally raw tale should be credited to the performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams who share an immersive chemistry in the flashback moments showing the tender side of their relationship while boasting unsettling heat in the present day scenes showcasing the dour conditions of their marriage. Each minute they are on screen yelling and arguing converted with dialogue so authentic you can almost feel like you witnessing their rivalry in person. Intertwining the story are moments following the more tender side of the couple's relationship that adds a small amount of levity to the atmosphere. These moments shine with such an enamoring feel to the point where our hearts melt for what is anticipated to come. And Derek Cianfrance is not proves he does not believe in emotional manipulation which, in return, bears a more gripping sense of tragedy that is not impossible to leave more than a few wet eyes at the end. For those mature enough to take this journey, you may find those Nicholas Sparks stories as tear-jerking as you remember. Of course, that is not to be condescending.
Blue Valentine is a powerful, albeit heartbreaking tale blistering with a raw truth how complicated love is, and as admirable as Gosling and Williams are in their roles; this is not meant to be entertaining but offer an important message that should not be taken lightly nor as a cry of discouragement. As a gripping humanistic drama, this movie makes for a worthy, if somewhat hesitant recommendation.
Anyone who grows in expecting a light-hearted love story with an infectious romantic tone is in rude awakening. This movie provides a powerful and unsettling portrayal on the scorching complexity of marriage, and the events that transpire draw distressing parallels to the harsh reality of how marriage unravels in today's society, especially with the steadily rising rate of marriages ending in divorce. Amidst Derek Cianfrance's provocative storytelling, the driving forces behind this emotionally raw tale should be credited to the performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams who share an immersive chemistry in the flashback moments showing the tender side of their relationship while boasting unsettling heat in the present day scenes showcasing the dour conditions of their marriage. Each minute they are on screen yelling and arguing converted with dialogue so authentic you can almost feel like you witnessing their rivalry in person. Intertwining the story are moments following the more tender side of the couple's relationship that adds a small amount of levity to the atmosphere. These moments shine with such an enamoring feel to the point where our hearts melt for what is anticipated to come. And Derek Cianfrance is not proves he does not believe in emotional manipulation which, in return, bears a more gripping sense of tragedy that is not impossible to leave more than a few wet eyes at the end. For those mature enough to take this journey, you may find those Nicholas Sparks stories as tear-jerking as you remember. Of course, that is not to be condescending.
Blue Valentine is a powerful, albeit heartbreaking tale blistering with a raw truth how complicated love is, and as admirable as Gosling and Williams are in their roles; this is not meant to be entertaining but offer an important message that should not be taken lightly nor as a cry of discouragement. As a gripping humanistic drama, this movie makes for a worthy, if somewhat hesitant recommendation.