This is a movie that wears it's independent film making with pride and shouts it loudly from the roof tops, but honestly it's one of the few independent movies I've seen where that style of independent film making helps this movie and in no way hinders it. But that doesn't make this movie any easier to watch. Don't go watching this movie and expect a happy, uplifting ending - this movie doesn't have one. I won't say the ending is as brutal as the end of Chinatown or Seven. It's not, Blue Valentine's ending is realistic and faithful to it's story line, but no where near as brutal as some other movies ending have been.
This is a movie about the falling in love and eventual falling out of love of a couple and the camera adds such an intimacy to the movie that it's brutal and hard to watch them fall out of love. But at the same time it's enjoyable and beautiful to watch them fall in love. The contrast is quite staggering. The style of film making makes this movie seem more like a documentary (and I'm not kidding about that either) which adds such an intimacy to the movie that at times you feel like you're intruding into their lives. But Gosling and Williams play these scenes with such honesty that they completely sell that documentary feel.
Most of their conversations in this movie don't feel scripted but seem so organic that's it uncomfortable to watch but yet I had to keep watching, much like a person who comes across an accident: the curiosity compelled me to see what happens. I haven't seen any movie that has captured the true art of conversation in all of its awkwardness, confusion, stalling, and fumbling to find the right words as this movie has. I also like the fact there was no easy answers in this film, much like life easy answers are hard to find. This movie understands that, which is why the ending was so right for the story and the characters in the movie, but still hard to watch when it finally came.
I will say that watching them fall in love was a very enjoyable experience as the director gives the viewer enough psychological insight into Williams character that I understood where she was coming from as she fell in love and out of love with Gosling's character. When she totally fell for him I understood why and was happy for her that she had found love even though I knew through the flashback scenes what this love was going to cost her and him. I was happy for her that she had found someone so opposite of her father. Because her father issues were the real problem in her life. Where as Gosling's problems just all stemmed from his own lack of doing anything or being someone and his ability to just settle instead of striving for something, which was what Williams' character had been doing her whole life.
Finally, it's a good movie to watch but at the same time it's hard to watch. Because most of the scenes, like I said before, have a documentary feel to them, which gives this movie such an intimate feel that you will feel like your spying into this couple's life as you continue to watch their relationship unfold before you. And saying that, the director has to be given some extreme credit for crafting this movie like he did. One of the best independent movies I've seen in a long time and worth all of the praise I've read about it.
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