Blue Valentine tells the story of the inception and eventual decay of a relationship with a vast understanding of human emotion and filmed with subtle genius. Writer & director Derek Cianfrance shows us two days in the life of a married couple, played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. The working-class Pennsylvania couple started off as an incredibly sweet young couple madly in love with each other, but over time they begin to lose that magic and when we see them down the road, the reality of everyday life seems to have drained the two of them to the point where the marriage is loveless and hollow, bound for eventual implosion.
Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams) met at a retirement home, when Dean was working as a mover and Cindy was studying medicine at university. In an almost classic nod to the ‘boy-meets-girl’ romances of Hollywood, their relationship began with the speed of any young romance; cute looks shared in the warm light of street lamps. The way the story is intercut with their future makes these scenes even more impassioned than in any cliché romance. Dean meets Cindy’s parents – who don’t exactly approve of him – and Cindy tries to end the other relationship she was in at the time. She becomes pregnant, and after a rash wedding the couple decide to start a family and a life together. This prelude story of sorts is told entirely through flashbacks while the real time of the film tells two days in the couple’s lives at the climactic moment before the crashing fall of their relationship. They have reached the point at which the attractions of younger romance no longer exist, Cindy has become sick of Dean’s insistent smothering and minor drinking problem, as well as his underachieving life as a house painter.
Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams) met at a retirement home, when Dean was working as a mover and Cindy was studying medicine at university. In an almost classic nod to the ‘boy-meets-girl’ romances of Hollywood, their relationship began with the speed of any young romance; cute looks shared in the warm light of street lamps. The way the story is intercut with their future makes these scenes even more impassioned than in any cliché romance. Dean meets Cindy’s parents – who don’t exactly approve of him – and Cindy tries to end the other relationship she was in at the time. She becomes pregnant, and after a rash wedding the couple decide to start a family and a life together. This prelude story of sorts is told entirely through flashbacks while the real time of the film tells two days in the couple’s lives at the climactic moment before the crashing fall of their relationship. They have reached the point at which the attractions of younger romance no longer exist, Cindy has become sick of Dean’s insistent smothering and minor drinking problem, as well as his underachieving life as a house painter.
Blue Valentine, as the title slyly suggests, smartly contrasts the rashness of young love with a suggestive nod to the shallowness of it all. Dean asks his buddy if he believes in love at first sight as the two men set perched on the back of a moving van the day after he first lay eyes on Cindy. He’s in that phase where “when a song comes on you just have to dance”. The problem is that Cindy and Dean both have different perspectives on marriage, Dean sees his wife and family as the reason to work, and that marriage is the final station, while for Cindy it seems to be more of a journey than the destination. The foundation of their marriage simply wasn’t strong enough to last, and in that way Blue Valentine isn’t a tragedy, it is a simplistic and realistic tale, as well suggestive and perhaps precautionary. After several year of marriage, they reach the point where Cindy cries “I feel nothing for you anymore!” as Dean, partially drunk, comes to her office and quarrels with her boss and co-workers. What is interesting is that it isn’t Dean’s alcohol problem that ends their marriage, or Cindy’s dedication to her job, the relationship just runs its course, as it seems it was always destined to do.
Gosling and Williams are gifted young actors, and both show understanding of their respective roles. Doug and Cindy’s relationship feels so real because Derek Cianfrance writes with realism in mind, and the cast seem highly dedicated to producing as genuine a film about love as possible. An intriguing and deeply interesting film, Blue Valentine is a contemporary romantic drama which maps the first six years of a couple’s marriage through flashback, as well as witnessing the marriage’s almost inevitable collapse. The movie asks audiences to question the concept of love at first sight, as Doug and Cindy did love each other at one point, but that is no longer the case. They have reached the stage where we wonder why they ever got married. Different audiences will associate themselves with different characters, making the interpretation of the film a different experience depending upon your perspective.
Gosling and Williams are gifted young actors, and both show understanding of their respective roles. Doug and Cindy’s relationship feels so real because Derek Cianfrance writes with realism in mind, and the cast seem highly dedicated to producing as genuine a film about love as possible. An intriguing and deeply interesting film, Blue Valentine is a contemporary romantic drama which maps the first six years of a couple’s marriage through flashback, as well as witnessing the marriage’s almost inevitable collapse. The movie asks audiences to question the concept of love at first sight, as Doug and Cindy did love each other at one point, but that is no longer the case. They have reached the stage where we wonder why they ever got married. Different audiences will associate themselves with different characters, making the interpretation of the film a different experience depending upon your perspective.