Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine is the current darling of the independent filmmaking sect. It is the graphic and docu-styled portrayal of a young couple's entre into a serious and committed relationship. Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) are a couple who meet while Dean, a mover by occupation, is relocating an elderly war veteran into his new retirement home, while across the way Cindy, a nursing student, is visiting her grandmother who has retired at the same location.

The story unfolds quite cleverly going back and forth in time presenting bits and pieces of personal data about the couple's formative years granting the audience understanding of these characters current choices and behavior. Dean is a loving, confident, attractive, and artsy young man without a solid capitalistic foundation or future, which obviously makes him idealic and appealing. On the other hand, Cindy is the product of a dysfunctional nuclear family poised to enter the careered world of medicine and the emotionless world of white picket fences and "I think I can be" happily ever after.

When the couple, now married with a child, decides to spend a weekend away in the futuristic room of a nearby hotel, things slowly come undone. Alone together in the confines of the hotel room, Dean and Cindy cannot recapture the liberty which allowed them to unite in the beginning. You will care for the characters because we see these people not only in others but quite often when we look into our mirrors. Nevertheless, you simple want them to get it together, and not necessarily together as a family unit. It is more advice like, wake up and smell the coffee - it's done.

Blue Valentine is what is so good, and equally so bad, with the current state of independent filmmaking. On one hand, we have a great story - contemporary and affected. Great acting - Michellle Williams received an Oscar nomination for her performance, even though it is Ryan who truly shines as a loving committed young father, husband, and friend who attempts to make life pleasurable for all, if you simply work with him.">However, Blue Valentine has a the style and look, and it becomes clear instantly, that this is not indie at all. It is a farce, people with the capability to make a multi-million dollar Hollywood-style movie with young hipsters on display doing cool grown-up things. For those who are unfamiliar with the hipsters in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn it is like the hippies of the 60s and 70s except they brought ALL of their wealth, privilege, personal ambitions and artsy manifestos with them to capitalize on, while never giving a thought about race relations, social class, or world events. Where most of the hippies eventually got jobs and gentrified America, this new hipster generation has only cared about itself from the very start.

Another giveaway that this is no true indie film is the wardrobe. Both characters don clothing that is supposed to be thrifty - however it is more like Marc by Marc Jacobs the more affordable collection rather than authentic Goodwill or Salvation Army.

All and all, Blue Valentine is not so blue, rather it is Williamsburg styled hipster love story.