Blue Valentine

BLUE VALENTINE tells the story of Dean and Cindy: two perpetually down on their luck Americans. Dean (who is played by Ryan Gosling) isn't even a high school graduate, but goes all out to charm the lovely Cindy (Michelle Williams). She quickly falls for him, traversing the road to being a doctor by day, and by night serenaded by Dean. This happy story is only half of BLUE VALENTINE, however, for director Derek Cianfrance interchanges these hopeful, romantic, and sometimes eerily self-concously indie scenes with scenes that tell of Dean in Cindy six years later. This tale is a darker one, rife with sexual desperation on the part of Dean, who loses the affections of wife Cindy as fast as he loses his hair. The couple aren't pleased with each other, and even their daughter, who represents all that is happy in the courting scenes, is an annoyance to them. This side of BLUE VALENTINE is raw and ugly. Every indie gesture from the happier side is here even sarcastic. For, director Cianfrance's intertwining of the two stories manipulates one to see the couple at their happiest, and then at their ugliest. The strength of his film is exhibited by his lead actors: Williams & Gosling. Their performances do what few films do: they bring out the ugly sides of likeable people; it brings to light that which we would not normally want to see (or hear). Despite these strengths in the film, there is a self-importance here that is accentuated by Cianfrance's self-concious structure. His camera movements, and constant close-ups make us uncomfortable. This uncomfortableness would be alright in spare, but its constant use makes everything seem raw. Rather, it demands that everything is, but when the film only touches on the rawness with its actors and their dialogue alone, it seems pretentious. BLUE VALENTINE is no grand statement, but it really should be given the grandness Cianfrance brings to it. This is ultimately disappointing and sigh worthy. His film should not be dismissed, and more importantly, the performances of Gosling and Williams don't deserve it. This is a good film, but whatever potential greatness it had, that was squandered by the effervescent quality of its director.
Blue Valentine: ★★★