Blue Valentine
This is a hard one to like. It's hard to enjoy watching two people who evidently cared.. or care.. so much for each other fall apart. That said, it was well done. For the most part, Derek Cianfrance absolutely nails it. He gives everyone a window into the roller coaster ride that a relationship can be. The ultimate for better or worse. I'm not saying that everyone has had a relationship like the one forged by Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams), but I'm pretty sure that we've all had our moments or at the very least we know people who despite being married or dating for years and year, they just can't seem to stand each other right now. I see it all the time out here in Long Island. Not sure what to make of it, but I do see it. In the grocery store, restaurants, or heck even at the movies. Conversations aren't so much spoken as yelled or snapped back and forth. And you can't help wondering how did these two ever end up together. They hate each other. Well maybe not, but they seem to, and that's not exactly great. What I think that Cianfrance and company absolutely nail is showing that there is a back story. And while maybe the reasons don't make sense, and maybe it's just as simple as folks growing away from each other just simply that feelings fade, whatever it is there are reasons for why folks come together. And usually- but not always- those reasons are beautiful... no matter how bitter the ending. So in a sense, this is another movie that does a great job of emphasizing the beauty of the moment- done in flashback... you start with the increasingly crumbling couple in the final throes of falling apart and then through flashback you generally get the answer to the question- what did she ever see in him? Or didn't he know what he was getting into with her? And through the flashbacks you see how they came together. And you see that the potential is there to fall apart- it was inevitable, but-especially since you simultaneously are seeing how things end up in the future- you can see where the turmoil was likely. It is a great visual recounting of a relationship that is both complex... and also at the same time.. simple. And I think the way that Cianfrance details Dean and Cindy's coming together and falling for each other is where the director displays his real masterstroke. He doesn't force the reasons they fall for each other on you. These things are difficult to put into words... and Cianfrace uses his words sparingly here. What you see are the subtle clues that two souls are coming together-for better or for worse. Cianfrance doesn't explain it- he doesn't have to- he lays it out in the fabric of the film and you just coming away understanding it. They genuinely care for each other in the flashbacks. And despite crumbling away through time they still did care about each other. And THAT is how they have ended up so far gone that they really seem to hate each other. Excellent work there.
Other than being incredibly bittersweet, there wasn't a lot to dislike about the film. At first, I struggled with the fact that there was only then (Cindy and Dean first falling for each other... growing closer...getting married) and now (fights, arguments, and exasperation). It kind of bugged me that we never get a window into what happened in between. The more I think about it, the more I realize that it would be unnecessary and completely out of the character of the movie. Cianfrance rarely comes out and explains everything in great detail. You see it and are able to piece it together for yourself. And the juxtaposition of then and how they were when they fell for each other and now and how far gone from the then point they are kind of actually tells you everything you need to know about the in-between. It was a great feat of storytelling to be able to leave so much out but still come away with a complete tale.
A couple other things you could probably figure out just by watching the trailer. Both leads- Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling- absolutely nail their roles. They are pitch perfect in both aspects of the relationship. The chemistry and antichemistry is amazing and both deserve the attention they are getting (which still isn't as much as they deserve). Just the way Cianfrance crafts the story demands actors who can say more with looks and subtlety than with words. And these two were masters here.
The other thing is that this movie has one of the most charming scenes I've seen in a long time... and it's the one from the trailer. Ryan Gosling's Dean gives an impromptu performance of You Always Hurt the One You Love accompanying himself on the ukulele (I believe) while Michelle Williams's Cindy does a slightly awkward tap dance on some random main street somewhere. And right there you can see that at least in this one beautiful moment, these two are so right for each other. You just get it. It was awesome. Just like the movie on the whole... even if it was hard to really like in the end.
Grade: A+
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