Blue Valentine

I had been waiting for this film for years, especially in the past year, since it premiered a year ago at Sundance last January. I had not known much about Blue Valentine before, except that its genre is romance/drama and that it stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, both whom I adore since The Notebook and Dawson's Creek respectively. Probably this is why I thought that this film would be somewhat like The Notebook: a romantic drama, which is, although pretty cheesy, but a feelgood and timeless movie that can be watched several times because the happy ending will always be a comfort. 

Well, all of my preconceptions were misconceptions. Blue Valentine is not at all a feel good movie that you would pop into your dvd player on a  rainy Saturday afternoon when you don't feel like doing anything else but cuddle up on your sofa under a blanket with a cup of tea and a bag of crackers in your hands, because all you need is a little bit of cheering up. Well, this is movie is not for such an occasion, it's much deeper, much heavier and more complex than that.

Blue Valentine does tell the story of a married couple, juxtaposing the past - how they met and fell in love with each other - and the present - how they struggle through their marriage which is coming to its end. It is, indeed, a lovestory, but a rather broken and bitter one.  Nevertheless, it is most certainly worth watching, especially for Gosling's excellent portrayal of the loving but freespirited and alcoholic husband, Dean.