Blue Valentine (2010)
Directed by Derek Cianfrance
Written by Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne, Joey Curtis
Starring Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling
Release Date December 29th, 2010
Published December 30th, 2010
"She sends me Blue Valentines
Though I try to remain at large
They're insisting that our love
Must have a eulogy"
The sad lyrics of Tom Waits' 1978 B-side Blue Valentines were one of the inspirations for the movie “Blue Valentine” starring Michele Williams and Ryan Gosling and they are appropriate. The film examines the beginning and, more thoroughly, the ending of a marriage and acts in effect like a eulogy to something once loved that has passed on.
The plot of “Blue Valentine” is fluid and mercurial, shifting back and forth in time from the sweet beginnings of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy’s (Michelle Williams) relationship to the present where their marriage is ending. The ending is evident to us and to Cindy but not Dean who struggles to recapture the dying essence of their once effervescent love.
Like a freezing man desperately blowing on the embers of a dying flame Dean begs for every last moment of warmth. The last ditch effort comes on an Anniversary jaunt to a cheesy romantic hotel with themed rooms. In this ridiculous setting Dean will attempt to romance Cindy and the cold space between them will grow with Dean’s every effort.
Naturally, there are signposts early on that Dean and Cindy are starting on a troubled path. When Dean and Cindy met she was involved in an abusive relationship with Bobby (Mike Vogel) and when he finds out about Dean he and three friends seek out Dean and deliver a vicious beat down.
Cindy’s father Jerry (John Doman) is another trouble spot; he dislikes Dean from the very beginning. Jerry was also abusive but as he has aged he’s remained a presence in Dean and Cindy’s relationship and is a doting grandfather to their daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka).
Much has been written about the sex in “Blue Valentine,” sex that nearly earned the film an NC-17 rating. The sex is intense for a reason; much of the basis of Dean and Cindy’s connection is a tremendous physical chemistry, something that all relationships need but not something you can build a sustainable relationship around.
Late in the film Cindy will use that physical chemistry against Dean offering him the sex he wants but holding back emotionally until his frustration can no longer be controlled. It’s a heart rending scene and one that may be good enough to earn Michelle Williams an Oscar nomination.
Not all of “Blue Valentine” is a downer; like any relationship Dean and Cindy’s relationship has good moments. The scene of Dean and Cindy’s first date which features a little dancing, a little singing and a ukulele is one of the sweetest moments in any movie in 2010. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are thrilling in this moment offering the audience all we need to know about why these two people think they love each other in this one exceptional scene.
But, did Dean and Cindy ever really love each other? Dean certainly loved Cindy but she is more mysterious. Cindy’s motivations for loving Dean or wanting to love Dean are less than healthy and Williams is expert at communicating the depth of Cindy’s psychoses and how they influenced her to marry Dean without fully committing emotionally.
“Blue Valentine” is as raw as Tom Waits’ gravel ridden voice and like Waits at his best is capable of deep sadness or biting dark humor. This is the first feature for writer-director Derek Cianfrance and it will be fascinating to watch this newcomer evolve his vision as a filmmaker. “Blue Valentine” is an exceptional start for Cianfrance who looks capable of something even more brilliant in the future.
