“Blue Valentine” (2010)

“Families are always rising and falling in America.” Hawthorne’s words
aptly apply to Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) in
Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine.” The film is a tempestuous glimpse
into the psychosexual disintegration of a once rock-solid and blissful
union. From the moment Dean laid eyes on Cindy, he knew that he was
meant to be with her. She was his soulmate and nothing was going to
get in the way of them being together. After winning her over with his
unrelenting charm, an impenetrable bond was forged. However,
six years later the relationship had decayed beyond repair. The once
madly in love couple had devolved into two individuals who were nothing
more than strangers to one another.Cianfrance delves into the age old subject matter, the love story, and
turns it into a unique adaptation that for better or worse, leaves an
indelible mark on the audience. Cianfrance’s portrayal of Dean and
Cindy’s relationship can be compared to a heavyweight boxing match. At
the beginning of any bout the fighters are brimming with intensity
and a certain kind of dynamic hop in their step.   At the inception of
Dean and Cindy’s courtship, they are like two fighters bouncing around
the ring with that same passion and fire. However, six years later the
fight has moved to its final stages with both Dean and Cindy staggering
around, and the audience is just waiting to see whose going to be the
one to get the KO first so they can both be put out of their misery.

What makes this film so special is that Cianfrance successfully
enables the viewer to experience what Dean and Cindy are feeling. He
does this by adeptly traversing time between the past and present of
their relationship. This intimacy
specifically takes place during the unforgettable and inimitable sex
scenes that are so rarely portrayed in cinema. The deep frustration
that the couple exhibits throughout the present resonates deeply with
the audience. The stark contrast between the anatomy of the
relationship from past to present within only a 6 year timeframe is a
testament to Cianfrance’s ingenuity and boldness. He could have taken
the safe route and made a 15 or 20 year time lapse to show the
couple’s defragmentation, but to convey such a severe change between
Dean and Cindy in only six years and make such a believable impression
requires exceptional directing and impeccable acting. This movie has
both.

As mentioned above, the acting in this movie is outstanding. Ryan
Gosling and Michelle Williams have real chemistry that very few could
pull off. They do a great job of letting the audience into their
world. Ryan Gosling tackles the role of Dean with a sense of reckless
composure. His Lloyd Dobler-like shenanigans enthrall the audience,
whilst his overt frustration that stems from his inability to connect
with his wife leads him to teeter on the edge of destruction. However,
he is successfully able to walk that fine line without losing control
of himself. Despite still being deeply in love with his wife, Dean can
no longer get Cindy to reciprocate the feelings she once had for him.
This especially rings true when the couple shacks up for the night at
a lover’s getaway motel. Dean tries to have sex with Cindy but she
will only give him her body, not her mind. Even though he is unable to
fathom why his wife is rejecting him, he doesn’t lose control and become
violent; which in a way makes the audience pity Dean and empathize
with him a little more than with Cindy.

As for Michelle Williams, she does a phenomenal job of portraying a
broken woman who keeps going down the down stair case. Her presence in
the film is reminiscent of Kate Winslet’s
despair in “Revolutionary Road” and Laura Linney’s  asepticism in
“The Savages”.  And even though she spends more time crying than Bette
Midler’s understudy in Seinfeld, her performance is first-rate. She is
the girl next door who is as captivating to the audience as she is
heart-breaking to Dean.

What really makes this movie stand out is the feeling of frustration
that lingers on with you after the movie is over. Whether you loved it
or hated it, this movie will have a profound affect on you. And to us
that is what a great film is supposed to do. However, that is not to
say that “Blue Valentine” is not without fault. Cianfrance shifts
back and forth between the past and present one too many times.  By
the time the final scene comes around things feel out of rhythm with
all the time sequence jumping. When watching the finishing scene,
there isn’t that dramatic buildup. There is no chest-thumping
intensity that this film deserves. The final scene is like watching a
NASCAR race that is being finished under a caution flag. It just lags
to the finish line instead of racing towards it with a
culminating crescendo.

Despite this minor setback, this is an incomparable film that
unquestionably merits viewing.
RATINGS:

Brett – 4 Twizzlers
Drew – 3.5 Jujy Fruit

Tags: 3.5 Stars, 4 Stars, Brett Weiss, Drew Weiss