Do not be fooled, Blue Valentine is anything but an average romance movie. The film posters and trailers advertise the movie as a 'love story', but do not anticipate a film that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside with a cheesy romantic plot line. Instead expect something entirely different, something real and emotionally engaging.
This type of movie would normally fit into the 'chick flick' genre, but due to its innovative take on a romance and its artistically driven visuals I could not resist seeing it. This movie was selected as part of Toronto International Film Festival for the 2010 season, and notably has a film festival vibe that does not fit the mold of a modern Hollywood blockbuster motion picture, which is refreshing.
The film shows the raw reality of marriage and the hardships of love, which is not commonly seen across the big screen, especially with such intensity. Did the movie match up to the hype that has been surrounding the film? As a whole, yes, but it was the acting that steered this movie. The movie itself had slower parts and awkward camera angles and techniques that are intended to be 'artsy', but instead come across as sloppy and at times nauseating.
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams performances were flawless and I cannot say enough about how amazing they were in their roles. Their ability to transcend such raw intensified chemistry was a result of their entire commitment to the roles. During the shooting process they actually lived together in the house that the movie was filmed in, to develop their chemistry and to live in the movie setting to feel at one with the character they were playing. Their dedication to their roles resonates on screen, through their effortless ability to reflect the chemistry of a couple that had actually been in love and married, but struggling to maintain that spark as it quickly fades on screen.
Director Derek Cianfrance held nothing back to show the rough side of a failed marriage. The film itself intertwines scenes from a couples crumbling marriage, with clips from when the initial spark was ignited and the progression of their love. Blue Valentine is a well-crafted movie that is carried with phenomenal acting and a fresh take on the true raw struggle that some marriages go through and that many movies steer away from.
