Triste San Valentín

Let me start this off by saying that this movie is not for everyone and I did not particularly enjoy myself while watching it.

It's a very well made film with beautiful shots and amazing acting. The story and themes are well fleshed out and provide for some uncomfortable scenes throughout the movie. From a film-making standpoint, this movie is great.

Despite its technical aspects that I loved, I simply did not enjoy this film all that much. There were too many uncomfortable scenes that included sex, domestic violence, and other intense events. While well made, this film seems like a one time watch. I cannot imagine putting myself through such a depressing movie again.

With the growing number of divorce in America, the "happily ever after" shown in Hollywood films are now far-fetched dreams and no longer a reality. Blue Valentine chooses instead to give its viewers a story of unrestrained truth. This film gives us a raw and painful account of a married couple that was once deep in romance and drama but over time had grown apart. Reality stripped them of the passion they once felt toward one another. The film jumps back and forth between the story of how they met and the current turmoil they are in now. Director Derek Cianfrance does an exceptional job of bringing to the screen the gritty and messiness of a failed marriage. Cianfrance definitely understands the searing pain of a couple that has to call it quits not due to abuse or infidelity but simply because they cannot return to the love they once had. Blue Valentine makes the viewer uncomfortable because it is strikingly identifiable. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams were amazing together; they successfully capture in every scene the multiple layers and the complexity of a relationship. They feed off of one another on screen and their chemistry is authentic, so much so, that it is often times difficult to swallow. The director's choice to have the two actors live together off screen paid off on camera. Blue Valentine is profound, intense and real. It is definitely a "must-see".

No matter what else is yet to be released, you will not see two better performances this year than Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

It's almost impossible to imagine anyone in anything coming close. In the defensive, aggressive way he turns every line of dialogue around on the speaker as a hidden affront to his insecurities, Gosling reminded me of no less than De Niro in Raging Bull as the older Dean. Playing the younger version, he channels the charm, romanticism, and recklessness of a 1960s Paul Newman.

Williams, who has emerged as the best American actress 30 and under, pulls off a performance that recalls Gena Rowlands' work with Cassavettes. Which is not to say either is an imitation, they aren't "doing method" or aping the authenticity of previous greats. They're 100% the real deal, so good you can only compare them to the best, and they fully embody these characters in every frame. They made me believe, they made me care, they broke my heart.

The story is a familiar one because it's the most common source of drama in life and art but avoids cliché and instead handles the subject with uncommon insight and grace. The lack of context scene-to-scene keeps the audience engaged and on their feet, filling in the intentional holes with their own experience and lending the film a universal relatability. In good times and bad, we can recognize our own triumphs and failures in love. It captures the joyous highs and devastating lows of relationships better than anything I can recall. Gosling singing while Williams tap dances, what she reveals to Gosling on the bridge and how he reacts, the scene in the doctor's office towards the end... they achieve that sense of cinematic transcendence so rare these days. They simply don't craft scenes like this or give actors roles this fully realized in Hollywood anymore.

It's clear this was a labor of love for all involved and it paid off in spades. This is the best American film I've seen this year.

Surprisingly well done. I was a bit skeptical at first, but as I traveled my way through this story, it made more sense than many other attempts to capture this concept and present it well. Michelle Williams really shines here, it may be her best role yet, at least that I'm aware of.

The key point here is that is an anatomy of a marriage that has dissolved over time, becoming increasingly irrelevant to the wife, and evermore difficult for the husband to comprehend or connect with what's going on with his wife.

I've seen this before, in real life. Sometimes, marriages just come apart over time, even if they started out with the best of intentions and all the chemistry that can be imagined. It just happens . . . people change over time, and often, not in sync with each other. There's no real "bad guy" in the scenario portrayed . . . just the realities of how people drift apart, to the point of no return. Trust me on this one, this does happen.

This film may not be for everyone, but for those who can relate with this type of story, this is probably one of the best attempts yet which delivers a reasonably realistic depiction of what this can be like.

Blue Valentine is one of the most depressing and well done films I've ever seen.

It is one that I will recommend that everyone see. Not because I want them to be sad or because I think they could learn anything new but because I think everyone should want to see the best of everything and this film is the best of its genre that I have ever seen. The acting is perfect. The metaphors are delicious and the hidden signs are just waiting to be uncovered.

Another great thing about this movie is that it is interesting to get different perspectives from your friends as to what they think happened in the movie and to whose side they are on. It is unlikely that they will have trouble connecting to or relating to the characters in Blue Valentine no matter if they have ever been married or had kids before.

Don't expect this to be a date movie or a nice happy rom-com. It is pretty much the anti-thesis of a date movie.