Blue Valentine.

Not the happiest of films. I’ve been wanting to see it for a while, and last Friday I had the chance to. I’d been warned it’s bleak. But I kind of like bleak films and songs.

It was beautiful, sad, romantic, sexy, hopeful and bleak at the same time.

It stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling – I like both of their work. They were also the executive producers.

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Blue Valentine was about a young couple falling out of love. There were flashbacks to happier times together, and at the start, I found the chronology of the film confusing. The themes in the film were centred around giving up your dream due to circumstance. The theory of ‘sometimes love just isn’t enough’ resounded.

The pair rushed into a marriage after Cindy (Williams) found herself pregnant to (probably) a former partner. Dean (Gosling) was very supportive of his wife from the time she told him she was pregnant, and loved being a father to Frankie.

Cindy seemed to be fearful of love. Sex to her was frightening, and not associated with love. I got the impression she couldn’t give her body to Dean without the need to feel used, even though he loved and respected her.

I found much of the film surreal due to the scenes in the futuristic themed hotel room. Overall I enjoyed the flashback scenes the most. In these scenes, Ryan Gosling’s character showed love in the way I want a man to love me. Through the film, I preferred Dean to Cindy, even when he snapped. She placed too much blame and resentment on him, when I saw him as a mostly pretty decent guy when it came to his family.

My favourite scene was when Dean, as a removalist, decorated an old man’s new nursing home room. The thought and dedication he put into that was so moving.

If you’re feeling sad, I advise against seeing this. But if melancholy is your thing, please do!

They are such an attractive looking couple. Perhaps a couple in real life?