A great film filled with heartbreak and humanity
Published on Tue, May 3, 2011 by Bob ConnallyRead More Arts & Entertainment
Blue Valentine
(R, Avail. 5/10)
With so many great movies released around Oscar time, it's very easy for something to get lost in the shuffle. My hope is that now that it's on DVD and Blu-ray, people will discover Derek Cianfrance's story of a relationship's beginning and its painful downward spiral. This may not sound like an enjoyable experience and "Blue Valentine" is full of heartbreak, but it is a truly incredible film and was, in fact, my personal Best Picture of 2010.
Co-written and directed by Cianfrance, "Blue Valentine" is a terrific example of how to legitimately use non-linear storytelling rather than as a gimmick. We know up front that things are not going well for Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) and that things will get worse before they get better, if they get better at all. Even so, there is a real sense of discovery when watching this film--discovering what brought them together, kept them together, and what is driving them apart.
What Cianfrance and co-writers Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis have crafted is a series of conversations and arguments that are more engrossing than virtually any action sequence you could imagine. It's stunning how well written they are, and equally impressive are the performances of Gosling and Williams. Much like life, each argument begins innocently enough either with a comment that is misunderstood or a miscommunication. One person is angered by the other and the offender simply can't understand why.
The true testament to how well written and acted the film is, is the feeling that we can always understand where each character is coming from at any given moment. Even if we find ourselves in agreement with one character or another (and it changes constantly which one you'll side with), we understand both points of view and why each character possesses the one they do. What makes it heartbreaking though is how much we like Cindy and Dean. We see and enjoy the lighthearted moments of their relationship and understand just how much love there is between them, and how tragic it is to see it falling apart. When one of them makes a mistake, no matter how great, we still want them to forgive one another.
The dialogue is probably the best written in 2010 and not a word of it sounds as though it was concocted by a writer. It sounds natural, real, and unpretentious and the same can be said for Gosling and Williams in their performances. This was the best movie of last year and it saddens me to think that it was overlooked. Nothing this great should pass by unnoticed. Yes, it is a deeply mournful film but there is a sense of humanity and surprising humor that make it unmissable. 10/10.
(R, Avail. 5/10)
With so many great movies released around Oscar time, it's very easy for something to get lost in the shuffle. My hope is that now that it's on DVD and Blu-ray, people will discover Derek Cianfrance's story of a relationship's beginning and its painful downward spiral. This may not sound like an enjoyable experience and "Blue Valentine" is full of heartbreak, but it is a truly incredible film and was, in fact, my personal Best Picture of 2010.
Co-written and directed by Cianfrance, "Blue Valentine" is a terrific example of how to legitimately use non-linear storytelling rather than as a gimmick. We know up front that things are not going well for Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) and that things will get worse before they get better, if they get better at all. Even so, there is a real sense of discovery when watching this film--discovering what brought them together, kept them together, and what is driving them apart.
What Cianfrance and co-writers Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis have crafted is a series of conversations and arguments that are more engrossing than virtually any action sequence you could imagine. It's stunning how well written they are, and equally impressive are the performances of Gosling and Williams. Much like life, each argument begins innocently enough either with a comment that is misunderstood or a miscommunication. One person is angered by the other and the offender simply can't understand why.
The true testament to how well written and acted the film is, is the feeling that we can always understand where each character is coming from at any given moment. Even if we find ourselves in agreement with one character or another (and it changes constantly which one you'll side with), we understand both points of view and why each character possesses the one they do. What makes it heartbreaking though is how much we like Cindy and Dean. We see and enjoy the lighthearted moments of their relationship and understand just how much love there is between them, and how tragic it is to see it falling apart. When one of them makes a mistake, no matter how great, we still want them to forgive one another.
The dialogue is probably the best written in 2010 and not a word of it sounds as though it was concocted by a writer. It sounds natural, real, and unpretentious and the same can be said for Gosling and Williams in their performances. This was the best movie of last year and it saddens me to think that it was overlooked. Nothing this great should pass by unnoticed. Yes, it is a deeply mournful film but there is a sense of humanity and surprising humor that make it unmissable. 10/10.