Wednesday 6 July 2011

Blue Valentine


Blue Valentine was one of the most anticipated movies of 2011, for me at least. Why you’ll probably ask, seeing as hardly anyone knows of this jem's existence.

Firstly, anything starring Ryan Gosling is something to look forward to. He’s cute but not in a hunk sorta way plus he is, in my opinion, a bold and daring actor and one of the few under 35s who can display such a wide range of depth and emotion. You just know that anything he does will be freaking awesome.

Secondly, I’ll a sucker for low budget indie romances that usually lack the sugarcoating and sentiment of mainstream movies and dare to go that extra controversial mile. What can I say; I love a good love story. I’m a girl, so sue me.

Blue Valentine tells the story of Dean and Cindy who fell head over heels in love when they were both young and “innocent”. Their world got turned upside down when their daughter Frankie arrived. Cindy sees her dreams of becoming a doctor slowly fade whereas Dean rejoices the fact that he’ll soon have a family. Fast forward to the present when this once endearing couple can no longer spend 10 minutes together without arguing. What went wrong?

This movie portrays one crucial day in their present relationship and alternates these tense and harrowing scenes with poetic flashbacks filled with passion and hope. The story is pretty basic but the performances are phenomenal. Ryan Gosling and the talented and oh so brave Michelle Williams have amazing chemistry and are truly the heart and soul of this gritty yet genuinely heartfelt romance that show us that every emotion fades, even love.

Blue Valentine is movie making in its truest and most purest form. The wonderful performances combined with a terrific script (plus some sensational improvisation) have given us one of the most touching and raw cinematic delights of the past years. It’s gutsy, honest, depressing and so damn beautiful!

No comments: