Blue Valentine

3 Wins and 20 Nominations including an Oscar Nomination gives only a glimpse of the range of magnitude of this 2010 romantic drama. Colorado filmmaker Derek Cianfrance, who writes and directs this film gives us a pretty hard dose of reality in what one modern day love story may be like. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams pair up as a present-day couple who fall for each other but are quickly forced to discover each other despite their issues, faults and mistake that sews them together forever.

With only a budget of 1 million dollars, loads of odd camera angles, and plenty fierce sex scenes, there wasn’t much romance to find in this film at all. Flowers and kisses can only take you so far in the romance class; still I absolutely loved this film; because it gave its viewers true authenticity of some couple’s lives. Sure we can fall in love at first sight, but rarely are two people who are un-whole find wholeness within already crumbling personas.

This film shouts the importance of people getting to truly know and love themselves first despite their dysfunctional pasts and also alerting couples to take a closer look at what they want for their futures and with each other. If you truly love someone then it isn’t that easy to call the relationship quits; but if the other is unwilling to work with you or work on themselves, then it was never meant to be! One must go through joy, tragedy and travel together to know if you work well as a communicative team; they must look directly at their mates actions, verbal and non-verbal – one always can tell if someone truly cares about them; because they treat you as they would themselves with utmost love and respect.

Filled with immense sadness as Gosling who played Dean gave his maximum in the relationship; he was a ‘real’ man despite all the elements that were against him. We always ask why things end the way they do; but no-one gives an answer…

I think if we became silent and paid attention more to those who truly care and are there for us through the rough times and ‘feels’ us here on this spiritual journey – we’d have a much clearer understanding and gracious joy! J