Student Film Reviews

Film reviews from theaters, couches, and film festivals

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1. Richard Feilden 11.23.10 / 12pm

   I know that the NC-17 ‘kiss of death’ rating has been the source of some controversy. Do you feel it was appropriate, or would an R rating have worked for the film?
2. Jessica Goodman 03.18.11 / 10am

   I have seen Blue Valentine twice and it gets me every time. This production captures from the time in which two lovers fall madly in love to the time in which their love slowly disintegrates into a catastrophic nightmare. When watching this film, I couldn’t help but to relate it to today’s society and why we have divorces. Should we question if love is real and attainable or are we just acquired to Hollywood’s story of true love? Even though, you are left unsatisfied at the end of the film and wanting more, the ending was done for a purpose. There are many racy scenes that are very vivid and real, which capture the relationships intensity throughout the film. I agree that this film is not your typical Hollywood love story but one that gives you the real story about love.
3. Sofia Nagel 07.06.13 / 7pm

   Blue Valentine (2010, Cianfrance) is one of the most painfully honest and realistic films of contemporary romance. Ryan Gosling stars as Dean, a hopeless romantic while Michelle Williams stars as Cindy, a somewhat jaded, intelligent and beautiful medical student. The film is shown in flashbacks and begins with Dean searching for his daughter’s dog. He and Frankie (Faith Wladyke) share an incredibly sweet relationship. However, Dean and Cindy have reached a rough patch in their relationship. Cindy has become distant because she believes Dean is a slacker and isn’t realizing his potential. Despite how much he loves her and her child, that isn’t enough. She’s pushing him away both physically and emotionally. Cindy rebuffs his attempts to get back to where they were, even rejecting him after he played their song, “You and Me.” Following the initial awkwardness of a broken relationship, we are introduced to their younger selves. Cindy and Dean meet while he’s working at an elderly person’s home where her grandmother has recently moved. Dean pursues Cindy aggressively. She’s dating a fellow student, Bobby (Mike Vogel). She finally gives in to Dean and agrees to go out with him. They spend an evening dancing, laughing, and playing. Dean describes Cindy to his coworkers, “It’s like when you hear a song.. and you gotta dance.” They fall in love with each other, perhaps Dean fell harder. Because of Cindy’s surprise pregnancy in college, she became a nurse instead. She is unhappy with her life and herself, therefore unable to be happy with anyone else. Blue Valentine follows their deteriorating relationship and some of the best moments that they had together, including Dean telling Cindy that he would raise her child even though it wasn’t his. For at least a brief period, they were very much in love. When the relationship falls apart, Dean desperately pleads with Cindy, “You said for better or for worse. You said that. You said it. It was a promise. Now, this is my worst, okay? This is my worst. But I’m gonna get better.” The film paints an honest portrait of what relationships are like today. What factors get in the way, what heartache life causes us, and how it interferes with our personal lives. The film poses the question, how are we supposed to trust our feelings when they can be so fleeting? The film is both beautiful and tragic in equal measure.
4. DelaneyBarbour 11.20.13 / 3pm

   I went to see Blue Valentine with my dad a few years back and I think that made the film more personal. The director uses a lot of dark blues to evoke sadness in the audience. The actors are very raw and don’t hold back, the characters feel so real and their emotions are relatable. It was a beautifully tragic film, and I recommend it to everyone.
5. Chantal Robles 07.04.14 / 6pm

   Your review was right on point. When I first watched this film, I did not expect it to hit me so hard. Everything about it makes me question love, and the ending gets me every time! The fact that the movie ended with Dean simply walking away and with us as an audience of no knowledge of what is going to happen to them frustrates me, but I can’t be mad because it is such a good ending! As you said, the film cuts from past to present in several scenes and that keeps me interested in the film because I can picture their lives together without actually seeing all of it, but just a before and after. Dean is such a sincere character in the film and he honestly seems to really love Cindy so much, but her character is fed up and tired and wants more of a mental security than security from a partner. I have to say this is one of my favorite films, because it’s so real and it shows just how much “love at first sight” can last once you have a kid and more responsibilities at hand.
6. Shahar Wilhelm 10.17.14 / 6pm

   Blue Valentine is one of my favorite films, it remains very true to reality and real life relationships. Dean, played by Ryan Gosling, does not fall into the stereotype of the characters that Gosling often undertakes (i.e. romantic comedies) The story is told through multiple flashbacks that give you bits of information as the movie continues to flow the viewer is able to gain better insight into the character’s, their behaviors, situations and how Cindy and Dean ended up, where the film began. There is definitely a large use of repetition in this film which lends to it’s success. Overall, I thought the cinematography was amazing and the films deserves the critical acclaim that it has received.
7. Rachael Caughron 11.17.17 / 11pm

   This film delves much deeper into the relationship of its two protagonists than the average film. You meet the couple when their marriage is teetering on the edge dissolution. What makes this film so poignant is that it cuts between the present time and when the couple first meet and fall in love. It’s heartrending to watch what once was a beautiful romance end so desolately. It was exceptionally written with a brilliant pace that allows the glances and silence between the couple hold equal importance with the dialog. It’s not a movie that you could watch often because of the emotional toll it takes on your psyche, but it is a worthy film that shouldn’t be missed.
8. wesleagreyson11 07.18.18 / 10am

   Blue Valentine is one of my favorite romance films and a lot different from your typical romance movie. This story is very unique and seems more authentic and real than most movies. This film takes you on an emotional journey inside a very realistic relationship between a married couple who are struggling to stay together. I loved how you explained the relationship between the couple because it is so similar problems couples face in the real world. I thought the cross-cut scenes played a big part in how effectively the story was told by switching from the different characters and also from the future to the past.
9. Faith Johannes-Squires 10.30.21 / 10am

   This film has always caused a lot of emotions for me everytime I watch it. It also to me felt like this film was about young love and falling out of love. It is interesting and makes very much sense that it raises the question is it worth it to stay in a relationship for the sake of child? Which the answer would be no, but I think the characters played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams saw their relationship in two different ways.

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