WATCH NOW
From “Princess Mononoke” to “Crash,” incredible stories come in all forms. Some are so beautiful and hard-hitting that simply watching them makes me grateful I even had the chance to see it. Some films that represent reality touch your emotions on a level beyond mere entertainment. The best of these is when a film becomes more than just a film. “Blue Valentine” is a great movie to watch, but more importantly, it is so heart-shattering and visceral that it forever lingers in your mind. For me, it connects to the very reason I love films how can a piece of cinema literally seep into your mind, body, and soul? While “Blue Valentine” can be quite the challenge to watch, and I dare say, may not be for everybody’s taste, I still think it’s a universally recommended watch.
“Blue Valentine” fundamentally tells the tale of falling in love, falling in and out of love, and how love can be so vulnerable. It looks within the intricate and sometimes tragic disintegration of two people. It’s a mix of warmth and coldness, and in my case, for less complicated reasons, an emotionally draining experience. It contained similar themes from the movie “Revolution Road” which had Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet… that examined the disintegration of a marriage in the 1950s. It was an incredibly powerful film that, in my mind, brought about this form of dread towards the thought of marriage, that I never knew existed. Perhaps it is the extreme hopelessness and darkness of the situation surrounding Blue Valentine that creates such a powerful message, or maybe it’s simply set in modern times.
Ryan Gosling plays Dean and Michelle Williams plays Cindy, a married couple whose story is masterfully told in parallel. In present time, Dean and Cindy are in a deeply dysfunctional relationship, and during the courtship flashbacks, one cannot help but hope that the couple is able to rediscover love. To salvage their marriage, Dean attempts to plan a romantic night at a motel in hopes of surprising his wife. He tries to book the “future room” instead of the more romantic suite. Neither Dean nor Cindy could have imagined the future would be this dismal.
The deeper we investigate into their lives, the more we see that even though there were striking similarities between them, neither one was completely suitable for the other. One must ask, does a perfect match exist? Dean & Cindy, like most people, chose to focus on certain aspects while completely ignoring the other person’s critical flaws, waiting for the day when those flaws would not exist. These relational fractures at some point turned into massive gaping wounds far deeper than could be jumped or fixed. What you are left with is two individuals on the other sides of the chasm, neither being able to claim dominion yet both responsible. As the couple attempts to fix the broken pieces, that turns into a devastating catastrophe.
Blue Valentine is a tough movie to watch because it is so honest, something that first-time feature-film director Derek Cianfrance must be credited for. It seems cliche to say that he doesn’t hit a false note, but it’s actually the case. Knowing that a good deal of the scenes were unscripted adds to the reason why it felt so real and spontaneous. Initially receiving the NC-17 (formerly X) rating for one intensely passionate love scene, the filmmakers were then able to win an appeal to have it released with an R rating without the need to cut the scene. Considering there is nothing in this film that warrants the NC-17 label, I am glad the filmmakers fought for the lower rating, although I am unsure if anyone below 17 would be able to grasp the intricacies involved.
This analysis wouldn’t address the phenomenal and incomparable performance by Michelle Williams who, in my opinion, has delivered the best female performance this year, while stunned by her performance. Williams is the emotional backbone of this film, a role that is unparalleled and, dare I say, godlike. It would be a complete injustice, Gosling is fantastic as well, but he does not carry the profound details of the script as Williams does. At the climax of the film, there has not been an actress on screen this year who appeared more defenseless than the one Williams.
In a human relationships case study, Blue Valentine works on every front. Watching the film is a sad, deeply moving ordeal that showcases what I believe to be the worst-case relationship nightmare scenario: that two people can just fall out of love, not because of an incident or act, but because of the passage of time. For some who are not in touch with their psyche, it is too real, and for those who don’t want such movies to impact their minds, it is hard to let it. But for those who allow themselves to be penetrated, you will be grateful and yet disheartened when it’s over. That’s not the movie’s flaw, but a credit to how deeply it strikes a nerve.
To watch more movies like (Blue Valentine (2010)) visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
