Blue Valentine

Derek Cianfrance’s debut film _Blue Valentine_ is both a heart-breaking and poignantly beautiful depiction of the breakdown of a young couple’s marriage. Through fragmented jumps back and forth between their bitter and resentful arguments, and flashbacks to when they first met, the film is unforgivingly honest in its portrayal of a relationship ending in pain and despair. The inevitability of the couple’s breakdown is evident from the very beginning, but the juxtapositions between the deeply romantic scenes when they first meet and the couple’s destruction are engaging and moving, drawing you deep into their despairing breakdown.

Although the overall tone of the film is sombre, it has a certain beauty to it that is so wonderfully captured through its subtle and intimate scenes, successfully portraying quirky and original moments about a promising and true young love that are deeply touching. With scenes largely shot with a shallow depth of field, the effect is a stifling intensity as if you are there trapped in the moment with the couple, both in the romantic moments and the heart-breaking. What is so triumphant about the intimate and romantic scenes of this film is that although they are exploding with raw emotion and romantic ideals, they retain a great deal of honesty and truth about relationships that keeps them from being contrived.

Both Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams give outstanding performances, creating an exceptional level of raw emotion and intensity in their roles. Gosling is without doubt the star of the film, perhaps even indulgently so. Although his character Dean is to a certain extent idealistic, his performance is so emotionally powerful that you cannot fail to fall for Dean, and feel the sharp despair of his fate. Michelle Williams equally puts in a staggering performance as the worn-down young mother Cindy, guilty for choices she made and the future she wants. By the end of the film it is impossible to find any sympathy for her character, as Williams so successfully conveys Cindy’s disinterest and indifference in fighting for their relationship.

The only short-falls I could find in the film are the perhaps contrived and unoriginal aspects of the narrative. It could be said that certain aspects of the film are very stereotypical of quirky indie film romance, but the way that they are juxtaposed to bitter and shocking scenes allows the film to demonstrate maturity and understanding of its subject to an unexpected extent. The suggestion that both Dean and Cindy’s fate seems predestined by that of their parents seems a little simplistic, and as said previously the character of Dean in some aspects seems a little idealistic. However, the depth of emotion portrayed through the beautiful and despairing moments throughout the film renders these points insignificant to the way the film makes you feel, as the characters appear bitterly accurate as a representation of a promising love ending in anguish and resentment.

How can a love that appeared so promising end so destructively? Is there a point where relationships can no longer be saved? Are we predestined by the relationships of our parents? Is lost-love worth fighting for, or delusional? These are questions the film asks, but it is the film’s simple and subjective nature that makes it so successful; you can make of it what you want.

It would certainly be a shame to dismiss _Blue Valentine_ as ultimately depressing, as despite the fact the subject of the film on first sight appears gloomy, I came away from this film truly moved by its intimacy and honesty about relationships and love. After watching the film, I was unable to stop playing over in my mind the scenes of pure emotion and beauty conveyed by Gosling and Williams. It leaves a lasting impression, and I look forward to anything from this filmmaker in the future.