Review of Blue Valentine (2010) by The Critic ( — 27 Aug 2013

Derek Cianfrance's drama tells parallel stories of couple Dean and Cindy falling in and, several years later, out of love. The contrast of the warm textures of the past with the cold, bleakness of the present offer much insight into our flawed, deeply scared protagonists, played with an engrossing rawness by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

Theirs is quite the believable relationship, an undeniable chemistry that makes confronting scenes such as Cindy at the abortion clinic and Dean's assertive request to feel the affection of his disengaged wife in a sleazy motel powerfully natural. It's this sort of honesty that is often lacking in most domestic dramas and the film's bleak conclusion isn't, perhaps, as definite as one would initially think.

'Blue Valentine' isn't the sort of film that sets out to entertain its audience, but rather invite them into a world that has all the multi-layers of beauty and harshness that maybe isn't too different from their own.