Blue Valentine (Derek Clanfrance, 2010): USA

Reviewed by Emily Day Viewed at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, AFI Film Festival, Hollywood.

Blue Valentine is a film that follows a married couple with a small child. They seem to be adapted to their life and have a system to the way they live. As the story progresses, however the film explores the marriage and it’s issues. By way of interesting plot structure, Derek Clanfrance bounces the audience back from pre marriage to present day, how they fell in love to how their love struggles. I found this film to be very touching and hard to watch at the same time. Much can be said about Derek Clanfrance’s newest film Blue Valentine; Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams shine in their roles, The screenplay is fantastic, The score worked wonderfully with the plot and subject matter the list could go on. In just a few words, I could say that I really enjoyed this film

Excitedly we all took our seats at the premier in Hollywood. Ryan Gosling was there in the audience watching with us and even walked down to the front of the theater right before the film started to welcome everyone. Many people sat in anticipation for what the film would be about as the trailer did not hint much to the storyline. Another reason perhaps the audience was anxious resulted from talk about the film’s rating; NC 17. Never the less the movie began and the audience watched.

I was most impressed with the subject matter of the film. I could assume that tackling this story was difficult. As real as the director made the story to be, The characters were very hard to relate to. Not in the sense that they did not seem real, as they did, but how sad and screwed up their life and attitude was. The audience watched as a marriage crumbled in front of them and you felt their helplessness and desperate desire for a new life and new love.

I was amazed at the way this film affected me.