"Blue Valentine" (2010) Directed by Derek Cianfrance

“Pack your bags baby, we’re going to the future room”.

With a cast of so few characters and many of which melt into the background and provide only minimal cameo appearances, it’s pivotal that the central and joint headline performances from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams drive the film. And they do so magnificently in this heart breaking tale of loss, growing up and all consuming love in middle America. Written by Director Cianfrance alongside Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne, the film explores the highs and lows of blossoming love through two deeply layered characters dealing with their personal demons and desperately seeking an almost old fashioned love, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer and for a love that will triumph over all. Presented in a non-linear narrative timeline, the film is rooted in the present as we see two parents already showing signs of their fractured and strained relationship in the film’s earliest scenes but through regular flashbacks we are drawn into their happier and loving times, through their sweet and affecting dating, of a man head over heels in love with a woman and their eventual marriage. There is far, far more but plot spoilers prevent me from elaborating.

From these earliest, present day scenes of the film it quickly becomes evident that the now long married couple are struggling and at odds with each other. Tension and uncertainty fill the opening few minutes and there is an air of them living two distinct lives but anchored by their beautiful daughter “Frankie” (Faith Wladyka). Their entire approach to the coming day is separate from the other as “Dean” (Ryan Gosling) jokes around with his daughter and misjudges a joint attempt at rousing “Cindy” (Michelle Williams) from her sleep. Quickly they each drive to their respective jobs but again the differences between them couldn’t be more apparent, Dean already drinking and driving fast and Cindy far more circumspect and methodical. They remain outsiders and insular, as they were when they first met all those years ago.

The above opening paragraphs are taken from my original spoiler free review of "Blue Valentine" penned and published nearly a decade ago, transferred to my Medium blog site on 28th January 2023 and which can also be read in full and for free via my Substack blog site and the link immediately below:

https://ramblingmusings666.substack.com/p/blue-valentine-2010-a74479f4157b

This spoiler free review is also integral to volume 1 of my 7 volumes of "essential film reviews collection". Only available currently in e-book form, each exhaustive volume of spoiler free film reviews is £4.99 however, should you have an Amazon Kindle "Unlimited" package, you can read each and every volume for free:

Volume 1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C4HHDL56

7 Volume Collection

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C4HZSTTH?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tukn

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