Sunday, February 13, 2011

Blue Valentine (2010) (2nd time)


The film centers on a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between two time periods. [imdb]

Nominated for 1 Oscar:

Best Actress: Michelle Williams

I'm usually all for movies that make you think and are meaningful, but Derek Cianfrance's love child film is a bit too much for me; it goes too deep on the depressing chapter, making it terribly uncomfortable at times. For me, it's the classic example of a film that I much respect, but that I would never be able to love. Seeing it for the second time was even more difficult: yes, because it's real and on the spot, but so damn sad.
It's beautifully directed, the cinematography is lovely, the editing is efficient, the two performances are simply beautiful: Ryan especially, as he delivers one of his best. The screenplay is not the highlight, but there were scenes that I adored, most of them in the happy days part: "you always hurt the one you love" of course, their final love scene and the wise words of the grandmother. It's an honest film, but too pessimistic too often.
My rating for the film: 8/10. In all fairness, I think you need to be a bit of a snob to give this film an A. :)

2 comments:

  1. I loved the flashback scenes, though even as endearing as they were I'm not sure that they quite developed their relationship enough for the breakup to be as effective as it could be. But still, this is such a good film - Ryan is amazing, I'm so sad that he was snubbed!

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  2. Oh, you're right. Giving this movie an A would be a bit snobbish. I LOVED Michelle. If anyone pulls an upset, I hope it's Michelle (NO chance at all, so that's it).

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