Hauntingly Honest Love Story

“Blue Valentine” is one of the few films about love that doesn’t hold any deceiving reservations. A documentary of one couple’s history, “Blue Valentine” honestly portrays love on its own terms.

We first see Dean (Ryan Gosling) balding and smoking first thing every morning. He loves his daughter, not unlike Cindy (Michelle Williams), who is introduced as the mother pressed for time. Together the two complete the family picture, and soon we see this incongruously matched partnership as it is: less than happy. 

“Blue Valentine” is compelling because not only does it challenge the viewer’s notion of relationships, but it also challenges the viewer’s patience, which isn’t a bad thing.

The chemistry — during both their periods of marriage and of early love through rose-colored glasses — between Williams and Gosling is effortlessly conveyed. But the pain of their differences cuts through their lazy humor, eventually revoking every sweet moment from their younger days.

“Blue Valentine” may be stripped of a happily-ever-after, but perhaps that’s exactly what makes this film so uniquely haunting.