Friday, January 7, 2011
Blue Valentine
For some odd reasons, some people fall in love, some people fall out of love. Most often, the processes are equally intense and profound human experiences. Yet, very few can figure out those odd reasons behind the mysterious transformation in mind. In "Blue Valentine" (USA 2010 | 120 min.), director Derek Cianfrance intimately tells such a story about a couple's falling in and out of love. This film readily becomes one of the best films from last year, with the brilliant performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams who both deserve an Academy Award nomination.
The film intertwines the current and past relationship between Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams). When Dean first meets Cindy, he is charismatic and persistent, chasing after Cindy. It is sweet and romantic. They passionately fall in love. After they get married, the magnet disappears. Dean feels content to be with Cindy and their daughter, but Cindy expects Dean to have bigger goal in life and feels suffocated by the marriage life. It is devastating and heartbroken. The marriage is falling apart. This is definitely not a pleasant, rather poignant, film to watch. If you can slice the movie into pieces and only watch the part how Dean and Cindy fall in love, that would be a funny and charming romantic comedy and a entirely different film. Instead, the harsh reality that the love between Dean and Cindy is fading away always emerges and gets into the middle of their earlier courtship. Like in real life, you wish the problem goes away, but it keeps coming back.
However, regardless what stage their relationship resides, the emotion is always raw and honest, touching and absorbing. As if you are watching two close friends' ups and downs, but you are unable to offer any comfort or to take a side. Moreover, you care and feel for them. They are not living an easy life, but also not out of ordinary. "Blue Valentine" opens on Friday, January 7, 2011 at Bay Area theaters.
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