Film review: Blue Valentine

I am the exact type of person this film is aimed at – I love American indie films, where nothing really happens and there aren’t necessarily happy endings, characters are slightly unconventional and dialogue is a preference to action.

But I don’t imagine everyone will like this film, for the exact reason that I potentially would.

You get the gist from the trailer – the opening dance in which is also possibly one of the best scenes from the film.

This film is the examination (as opposed to story) of a young broken marriage between a couple (Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams) that fell together beautifully but fall apart horribly.
The story starts near the end and rocks back and forth between the romantic beginnings to present realities. This is always a nice get out clause for happy or sad endings as the narrative doesn’t necessarily follow the sequential time line, and thus things can potentially begin with the ending – think Irreversible (Gaspar Noé), or 5×2 (François Ozon). This film doesn’t reverse things exactly but it plays with our perceptions as it shows contrasting parallel scenes. Towards the middle there are some edits and shots that do this brilliantly.

Essentially and blatantly this is a film about love, dissected in an extremely delicate and honest way – it shows some truths that only those of us that over analyse everything would want to know.
Relationships are complex and things can decline, and it is not anyone’s fault. Subtle changes and the reasons why you love someone can also be the reason that they will never work.

I wasn’t expecting the film to bring sex into it, indie films of this nature usually don’t, unless in some humorous way. However if the dark cover (seen on right) was used in the UK, I think I would have had different expectations.  But it did, and quite a lot and the film was littered with scenes where Michelle Williams’ legs were literally akimbo.
But again this was brutally honest and the sex was just a visual representation for other things going on. I think this was done really well.

Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling were perfect for this film if it was insisted that Hollywood names were needed. Ryan particularly, with his recent background in respectable indie films (Lars and the real girls and Half Nelson) and ability to play someone I could have fallen in love with. I was particularly impressed with Gosling’s ageing (maybe a little too advanced receding hairline), that deteriorated in the same way as the relationship, despite in spanning only just over 6 years since the start.

My only disappointment was I felt that there was nothing new here, but I am not sure where exactly I have seen it before, but I have.
However it was real and emotional, and beautiful and comic, and tragic and had no need for a substantial story. And I love it when film makers can do all that.

The film was also accompanied by some lovely music (both Gosling and Grizzly Bear) and beautiful shots. Good effort by the first time featrue film director Derek Cianfrance who has spent 12 years making this.

Review by Vicky Fabbri

Film watched at the Prince Charles Cinema.

Tickets usually £10, but annual membership is just £10, in which case tickets are £6, and you get a laminated on the spot card.
Beer available, and seats lean back a bit.