Blue Valentine, directed by Derek Cianfrance, is an unapologetic document of a couple – of their euphoric beginnings and their agonizing ends. Actors Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams perform in this film’s depiction of love, marriage, and the mediocrity of time or bias that comes combined in a sour tapestry. The narrative of the film is organized around two temporal axes: the introduction of a relationship and its duration, so in one way the film celebrates love; in the other, its further absence.
Synopsis
The storyline jumps back and forth in relation to the present day which is troubled within the marriage of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams). When we meet them at this time, we see that the relationship is from maturity and maybe heading for final break up. It appears he glows with life and ambition. However, I see that through the eyes of the audience he does have some traits of his character which is a simple man that drunkenly prone. Cindy however is burn out emotionally, physically from being a nurse and taking care of their first daughter, Frankie. The charges and forcefulness in their speech or even their physicality is so angered that one all expects makes every meeting none other than sad.
The portrait is maddeningly distant from the image of how they made each other fall in love yelling love birds in each other’s ears. Through flashbacks, we see them tremulous and excited during their first dates. Love at first site for Dean, who is definitely a romantic fool, while Cindy, a resilient, realistic woman, shaped by the fallout of her parents’ marriage, is far more guarded. They had differences, yet they had chemistry. Their love felt real and was uplifting. But as their history moves on, strong loves are bound to have myriad troubles, and seeds of inevitable differences are planted with a subtleness that they will not be able to hide their affections forever from life’s challenges.
Cast & Crew
In two powerful roles – Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams made the viewers feel their emotions true in their unbearable authentic performances. Gosling portrays Dean as a boyishly confident character who changes to a broken man lost in unmet expectations. Even Dean’s struggle transforming from an outspoken lover to a man jaded by anger and loss is exceptionally dramatic and upsetting but also intriguing to witness. Williams, who is no less engaging, shows Cindy as a complex of quiet strength, sorrow and suffering. The audience can easily identify with her character as her frustrations and desire for greater things to come resonate deeply.
Derek Cianfrance, the director who also co-created the script with Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne, relates better to the story as he presents the delicacy and intricacy of human relationships as very real and ever witnessed through a complex lens. Increasing the emotional resonance he shot the film by reverse timelines and preferences for cool desaturated hues to depict the present and more warm tones with hand held shots to depict the past events instead of vice versa. There are no better words than those of Grizzly Bear’s newest album, as the band’s work is known for an elaborate advance in the mood of its listeners, this time Grizzly Bear with all the versatility and heavy texture emphasized sadness making entire atmosphere of Blue Valentine watching experience to even more organic in its nature.
Themes and Style
Blue Valentine is not just about an on-screen relationship and the struggles within it; it is more about love and everything it can lead to. The love is, after all, is considered to be shown in many ways; however, like in any normal case, it has boundaries; love, no matter how stong it may be, will have boundaries, as its being driven by unreal conditions and expectations. The psychodrama here informs the audience that love is like incense: ardour and passion will always be strong, but not necessarily its nucleus.
What distinguishes Blue Valentine from other romantic melodramas is the undisguised idiosyncratic sociopathy. It does not idolize love or evade the grime that is associated with it. The altercations that occur between Dean and Cindy seem so raw that they almost become uncomfortable viewing, demonstrating the kind of intimacy that Cianfrance intended to shoot. It is worth mentioning that Gosling and Williams shared a home for a month prior to the shooting to establish rapport and did not follow the script during the major scenes – this too contributes to the film’s unpredictability.
Critics’ Reviews
Blue Valentine was warmly embraced after its premiere, while many new users wrote reviews in praise of the film’s more negative side – love welcome board and love lost heartbreak. In its account on IMDB, the movie gets a respectable score of 7.3, which does speak for itself. The critics appreciated the acting of Gosling and Williams, who had won recognition at many awards shows, including the Best Actress nomination for Williams at the Academy Awards.
While a fair number of film goers praised the film for its grim portrayal of events, others accused the movie of excessive darkness. The disjointed chronological order of events together with emotional content may not necessarily seem appealing to a viewer who is looking for ‘cheerful viewing’. For others who are prepared to entertain the sadder aspects of relations though can find a comforting film in Blue Valentine.
Conclusion
Blue Valentine is a film which requires courage and strong emotions to watch. It is such a film that leaves one devastated yet fulfilled by taking the viewer through an intense emotional roller-coaster; a story depicting both the good, and the bad in relationships. The film receives its power from fine actors in Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams who both give strong performances while director Derek Cianfrance is uncompromising in his effort to make the film as realistic as possible, something many films fail to achieve. The film then as a cautionary tone in that – as much as love is sweet, all love is also weak and is in constant danger, and needs work, compromise & respect from people to stay intact.
There are many who will not shun Blue Valentine’s moroseness, and so the film for them is a masterpiece – because it is not just about recounting events in the past, for story’s sake, but most importantly, this film is about sharing and experiencing with the characters true moments of happiness, sadness and everything in between. American Destiny finds beauty in the truth, as there is beauty in suffering and love. There is strength in love and in the most extreme circumstances it further strengthens love even more.
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