Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play a young, troubled couple whose romantic spark has inexplicably faded. The film jumps between the past and the present, illuminating the struggles and triumphs that lead them to marry and raise a daughter. At the commencement of Cindy and Dean's courtship, the two are beautifully drunk with the fluttery feeling of amour and the sentiment is contagious--as a viewer, I felt inebriated with excitement and desire as well. However, the present day versions of Cindy and Dean are literally intoxicated and the stumbling, slurring, sad forms of themselves are as dark and depressing as the newly met couple is bright and hopeful. The inevitable downward spiral that occurs over time seems to result from the monotony of diurnal life. Cindy has found small success as a nurse in a private practice while Dean wastes his "potential" as a house painter; the young dreamers they had once been while living in the boroughs of NYC have disappeared in the trenches of parenthood and suburbia.
My friends complained that the movie portrayed love negatively, but I have to disagree. Even though Cindy and Dean's romance fizzles to the point so that their marriage is hanging by a thread, I think the film does a wonderful job of conveying the tenuous nature of love. Of course the beginning of a relationship is wonderful and exciting, but it takes a naive person to believe that those feelings will remain that way forever. Unlike so many romanticized Hollywood movies, "Blue Valentine" paints an alarmingly honest portrait of a struggling young couple.
Writer/director Derek Cianfrance does an absolutely perfect job of capturing the notion that the characteristics that make Cindy fall in love with Dean are the same attributes that make her fall out of love with him. Throughout the film Dean makes the same type of goofy jokes--jokes that the audience giggled at--and it's obvious that his unchanging humor has invoked resentment within Cindy. While she has matured, Dean remains the same lost soul he was when he met her--the main exception being that his job allows him to start drinking at eight in the morning. His failure to pursue anything irks her while her nagging does nothing but irritate him.
While overall I am in love with this film, I must say that the perpetual use of close-up shots made it difficult to watch at times. Nevertheless, I thought this film was a gem and an absolute must see for anyone who's ever been in love and understands the torturous journey it can take.
Check out the preview:
i just gotta see it. this was a FANTASTIC writeup, mary. seriously, i could have read this from film comment or the village voice.
ReplyDeleteis the movie as great as the trailer? bc it's such a fucking great trailer. it gives me goose bumps every time i watch it.
there's a great indie theater literally a block away from our apt (have i already told you this? i might have). shows your basic "main stream" indie movies, if you get what i mean. pretty much like keystone, but without the alcohol :)
I will validate that the movie is as good as the trailer. The film is certainly heartbreaking to endure and not as sweet as the preview, but that's to be expected.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned the theater before and I am anxious to check it out with you! Whenever I visit, (which will be soon) we'll catch some flicks. :)