Blue Valentine (2010)
This is a realistic portrayal of the collapse of a marriage that has decayed over time, where one of the spouses doesn’t see it happening. The performances of Gosling and Williams are superb because they’re believable. They display emotions that fit the circumstances perfectly. Williams as the wife who is dissatisfied as she wants more in her life, and Gosling as the husband who is content because to him the marriage and family is the goal, and that’s been accomplished. They couldn’t have predicted this when they married, but essentially they’re looking for differing things.
The power and emotional impact of the film must also be credited to the manner in which the past (the growth of their love), and the present (its deterioration) are interspersed. The two time-lines shown side-by-side. We see them meet, fall in love and get married at the same time we see the breakdown of the marriage, Gosling’s character’s initial disbelief followed by his ultimate acceptance of the facts.
Very well done.
8/9
Please leave a comment. I’d love to know what you think.
THE MOVIE ANARCHIST 
June 9, 2011 at 6:53 pm |
I’m looking forward to this as a Gosling fan. He seems to be a guy that could have easily chosen the pretty boy movie of the week, but opted instead to go for more interesting fare like “Lars and the Real Girl” This choice could have hurt his box office appeal as a result, but I respect it definitely.
June 9, 2011 at 10:38 pm |
You won’t be disappointed with his performance in this one. It’s a “must see” for everyone, not just Gosling fans. As far as Lars and the Real Girl is concerned, it certainly was an interesting choice, but I loved it… Not just his acting, but the film as a whole. It’s a heart-warming story about the lengths to which people will go for one that they love.