I feel as if though Blue Valentine (2010) starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, in a perfect world who absolutely deserve Best Actor and Actress Oscar nominations (I still feel Annette Bening is the best female performance of 2010 in The Kids Are All Right); has hit me hard with a sledgehammer.
Mr. Gosling's character, Dean is a man who is still trapped in the first stages of love. He's charming, goofy, and a dreamer. He's content with being a blue-collar man working odd jobs such as carpentry and painting houses and coming home to a wife, his kid and a cold beer. He obviously hasn't advanced very much, and it's driving his wife, Cindy (Michelle Williams) absolutely crazy. The film cuts back in forth during their six painful years of how and when they met; and how they are now unable to reconcile their differences.
In contrast to Dean, Cindy would like to advance. She's ambitious, intelligent, and is a hard-working nurse at a hospital. She becomes pregnant accidentally and is so emotionally drained of her life with Dean that she barely can contain her disgust for him. She's a wreck and we see that the love is gone on her part. In a sad memorable sequence, the two attempt to rekindle their romance in a cheesy motel with a futuristic theme. It's not about two people who hate one another; but it's about how do two people keep going when they're trapped in a rut? The exhaustion is so clear, that Cindy can't even feel anger anymore. Only bitter disappointment.
The heart of the film is about how there are types of love that can't be recaptured, but it is the memory of love that lingers loud and true. The film is about how and if two partners can't make it work and change for one another, and even stay somewhat on the same page, then what's the point?
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