TMG Scale 7.5 by Joy Lynn—-TMG skipped out on this one!
Starring Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
Blue Valentine is a sad movie that tugs at your heart. Gosling and Williams invest everything in their roles and expose you to the life of a twenty something couple living in a blue collar neighborhood of Brooklyn who experience a marital meltdown that is gut wrenching. Mainly because of their commitment to their absolutely adorable daughter, Frankie, played by Faith Wladyka.
This movie oozes realism with cinematography that makes you connect emotionally with each character. Shots are grainy and close up. The film wears you down, yet you are compelled to stay with it to the end.
Even the sex scenes are so intimate, you feel guilty for being there. Film directors are pushing the envelope with sexual intimacy these days and insisting we experience the most private moments between two people. I am not so convinced that is necessary to make a successful film.
This movie moves between time periods of Cindy (Williams) and Dean’s (Gosling) life overflowing with romantic memories of their courtship and the day to day grind of living a life with someone you have fallen out of love with. [This effort just hit the theatres so we are calling it a 2011 release though IMDB and others call it 2010.]
Blue Valentine is not for the weak-hearted. It’s a dark story that explores the reasons why we fall in love and how love can diminish over time before you know it.