Movie Review: "Blue Valentine"
David Ashley
Seen on: September 24, 2010
The players: Director: Derek Cianfrance, Writers: Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne, Derek Cianfrance, Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel
Facts of interest: The film played at Sundance and Cannes.
The plot: The film centers on a contempo married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.
Our thoughts: There are a few different ways to see a story like this. In the present we watch a marriage fall apart, then we go to the past and watch its creation. Back and forth, like two strings wrapping around one another. One would be hard-pressed not to call Dean (Ryan Gosling) a loser. He inhabits a rather low social strata with oblivious nonchalance, working as a mover, unambitious but decent. There would be no real reason to dislike him unless you married him.
Cindy (Michelle Williams) got pregnant just while she was forming an unlikely friendship with Dean, the two exploring the fun that can be had by riffing about nothing. Alone and in pain, Dean and Cindy (mostly Cindy) nurture a romantic vision of marriage, happiness, future – which is suitably brought to Earth in a few mere minutes in the presence of Cindy’s father, who strips Dean’s meager laurels with justifiable ease and with questions like, 'What do you do for a living?' and 'Did you finish high school?'
"Blue Valentine" was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was screened at Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2010. The film's got a throbbing, saccharine score by indie folk band Grizzly Bear, which, along with the actors themselves, functions as the more interesting aspect of the film. On top of that, it is shot with the now typical verite/whatever flair. Ah, and I now see the story was a 12-year labor of love based off the real experiences of its creator. Color me surprised.
The problem here is that the film appears to be unbiased in its judgment of Dean and Cindy – equal partners in a massive accident – despite the fact that Dean is unequivocally portrayed as a pitiable lump of male and Cindy is simply a bright star, trying her hardest, confounded by the world and her heart. Eventually, you leave knowing that Dean made huge mistakes by taking things for granted, and that she did not.
The final shot of the film is a rhythmic orgasm of Grizzly Bear, fireworks and a love embrace between our stars, celebrating memories of youth and passion – director Cianfrance's little elegy. But darn – Dean was 10 times the loser Cindy was! Don’t give me a gilded moment in time for that man! And exactly what ‘love’ are we celebrating? Two scared kids jumping into a marriage because she’s knocked up..? Yes, romantic young fantasies are nice, but it’s much nicer to evolve.
Freaky quote: "I got a song." - Ryan Gosling
The final word: I digress. I’m being harsh. I personally just have no interest in such narratives. For the type of film that it is, it’s just fine. It might even be pretty good, if you’d like to see such a film. Grizzly Bear is great! Gosling and Williams are exceptional (but why would I want to watch them play losers?). In the end, I think Cianfrance could’ve spent 12 years being more than nostalgic.
Article by David Ashley, screened at the 2010 Milwaukee Film Festival
Reader Comments (1)
When this film is finally released, I expect it will receive an R rating for some fairly graphic nudity and explicit sexuality. There is also a brutal fight, alcohol consumption and smoking. And if that's not enough, a near-abortion might be too much for some, but hey, this is a very contemporary portrait of a familiar American marriage.