“Blue Valentine” is obviously neither a thriller nor an action film, but it does have its own set of mind tricks, adrenaline rush and romantic passion. “Blue Valentine” is the story of Cindy and Dean, two young people who become young adults together. She is a nurse and he is a house painter. They get married soon after they meet and have a beautiful daughter. The first thing worth mentioning about the film is that it took about 12 years to make it. Director and writer Derek Cianfrance allowed Michelle Williams (Cindy) and Ryan Gosling (Dean) to develop their characters while getting to know each other as people. They had to live as a family for a month in the house you see in the film. Both actors do their parts so well that you would think you’re watching a documentary. They were both nominated for Best Actor/ Actress for the Golden Globes and I think they should have won. The story goes back and forth between two time frames, one where the two meet and fall in love and another one six years later where they have to deal with their current marriage and the toxicity accumulated over the years. “Blue Valentine” is a romantic story in which everyday life interference to challenge it. Cindy and Dean might be somebody’s parents or they might simply remind people of those moments in relationships that never make it in Hollywood films because they’re too raw to be captured by just any filmmaker. Most of the songs in the film are written and performed by a band called Grizzly Bear, and they definitely soften the transition between present and past moments. “Blue Valentine” stays away from sugarcoated situations, but it does present love and partnership in a way that leaves you feeling better about the future if you decide to somehow deal with life more reasonably. Every relationship has its own charisma. It’s quite a simple film where people’s flaws make them special and there’s no such thing as perfect. There are perfect moments though they come and go. And as the director says in an interview: “Blue Valentine” is a duet between a man and a woman, their past and their present, love and hate, joy and despair.
