I probably haven't watched as many, or as varied films as you would expect for someone who says they are a film lover, but I was never about quantity, instead for me it was always about quality.

Its also about the lasting impression a film makes on me, whether by completely blowing my mind, by using certain motifs like music, and scenery, or by making me feel something on a deep emotional level. Today Blue Valentine really hit me in the feels, and not the good kind either.

This film's tagline is 'A love story', and I feel this could not be further from the truth.

This film is so anti-romantic, that the most romantic moment in this film was when a decision about an impromptu hotel stay was being discussed, and hastily planned. The spontaneity by the frustrated male protagonist in a desperate attempt to rekindle a small spark that started the relationship.

Blue Valentine is told in two cross-cut linear story lines, and stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as middle-class married couple Dean and Cindy Pereira who are hopelessly trying to make a happy home for their adorable little daughter Frankie.

The story lines tell the evolution of their relationship from an awkward first meeting, and fateful chance second encounter, through to a courtship of bad decisions, and a marriage of convenience mostly to fit in with conventionality, then living in rural Pennsylvania.

While not much is known about Dean, other than he is from Florida and new to NYC, and an affable yet somewhat unfocused kind of gent. We do get a fair bit of insight in to Cindy's home life in the boroughs of New York, and the ineffectual role models for parents who share a fairly loveless existence.

I said this film is anti-romantic, and is so evident throughout the film. The sex scenes are devoid of emotion or intimacy, and is purely based on the physical needs of those involved, and the only love shown to anyone, is to their daughter who seems to be the only happy individual in this film of emotional bleakness.

Its been about 8 hours since I watched this film, and I still feel sad about it. I have put much effort into watching indie, or non-major studio films, and for the most part, while having sad, and emotional parts to them, they are often quite uplifting, and leave you with modicum of hope. Blue Valentine does neither, but this does not mean to say that it is a bad film. Quite the opposite, it is a very good film, with excellent performances, expert direction, and writing that achieves exactly what its meant to.

Do not go in to this expecting the Notebook, or I dunno, Love Actually. Expect more (500) Days of Summer without the lovelorn male protagonist, or hopeful ending.

==Day 4 of Ryan Gosling Filmography Binge==

Alright hot take incoming. Blue Valentine momentarily boasts amazing moments of 'Romance' authenticity but it struggles fully break the shackles of falling into stereotypical characters and cliche plot lines. The characters portrayed beautifully by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams seem to fall into stereotypes way too soon lacking originality at times. I also found some parts of the movie to be melodramatic, except for the hospital scene when they were fighting which was intense and was well executed.

However, there are some redeeming qualities about this movie apart from the stellar performances, the chemistry between the 2 leads are great and Ryan really work with Michelle (not as good as Rachel tho ;)). There are some scenes in the movie where you can see pure raw emotion from the characters. The connection feels so authentic despite the narrative being a bore-fest for me. I was worried about the ending during the last 15 minutes of the movie but they nailed it, the camera work was done really well during those last few moments. Without giving away any spoilers I gotta say the ending deeply resonated with me.

In conclusion, the movie didn't do much of a good job having me in a chokehold throughout the movie like most Romance Dramas do for me, heavily flawed yet leaves a heavy impression on the audience.

P.S.- please do not butcher Ryan Gosling's hairline like that again, and also when will we get a movie with Michelle happily married.

Blue Valentine- 6.0/10
Ryan Gosling- 7.6/10

Blue Valentine tells the story of a a couple who try to salvage their marriage and reconnect with each other. It is quite different from a lot of romance movies in the way its told but also the tone of the film. It can get quite depressing at times and is not for the light-hearted. It rarely makes you smile throughout watching and is mostly quite sad. I am a bit torn on how much I actually enjoyed this one. It is a good film but I can't say I absolutely loved it. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are both incredible and the chemistry together is faultless. My only concern with them is their characters themselves, I just did not connect with them as individuals as much I wanted to but together they created some raw moments and that felt authentic and gave us an insight into what some relationships are like in the real world. The way the story unfolds is non linear and shown through flashbacks and while it is an interesting and creative idea for some, it just did not work too well for me. I felt too disconnected to the characters with the timeline jumping around. You can tell how much effort Derek Cianfrance put into directing this movie and I still appreciate what he tried to do. He tried to do something different. I still liked the film, but the non linear story did not do a whole lot for me personally otherwise I would have given it slightly higher rating.

7/10

**It is a discreet film, which can go unnoticed, but very intense, realistic, believable and that can be difficult to see for many people.**

Romantic dramas aren't exactly my favorite type of film, but I recognize the quality of work done in this film, and the skill of director Derek Cianfrance. In almost every way, this film was a labor of love, drawing heavily on the director's personal experience who, as a young man, witnessed his parents' divorce. Although the film has a name that reminds us of the rosier side of love, the film actually does a very detailed dissection of a relationship, from beginning to end.

I can even agree if someone tells me that this film is not for everyone: it is a dense film, something slow, there are very monotonous passages, dialogues that seem to be there just to fill time, but that actually help us to understand the personality and way of acting of the two elements of the couple. In addition, the film does not have a linear narrative, making several setbacks and temporal advances, in order to intersperse the past and the present, showing us the evolution of the relationship and, also, its wear and tear. It's not a nice movie or easy to watch, and in large part this is due to the authenticity of what we see. That couple could be our neighbor, or one of us. It is a film that, for many people, can evoke painful memories of past and present courtships and marriages.

I really enjoyed the interpretation of Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. Both actors were fully committed to the work, built a powerful chemistry and partnership, they are largely the soul of the film. Gosling played a romantic who absolutely believes in love and seems willing to do anything to try to make their marriage work. He's passionate, absolute and enthusiastic, the kind of man who doesn't mind taking risks, and has the self-confidence to run after the ones he loves. Williams made her character more reserved, tough, a little defensive, but full of personality and inner strength. Moreover, the actress would get an Oscar nomination for Best Actress with this work.

The film has a very well executed cinematography, excellent editing work and good production values. It's not a flashy film, it will surely go unnoticed by many people, and in fact it's not a perfect film or totally likable, but it's interesting, it's intense, and if we give it a chance, it's impossible not to feel sympathy for the characters. and suffer with the difficulties they go through.