Blue Valentine

This is a story of love and the drudgery of life when love is no longer around. Or perhaps it is the story of how life becomes drudgery when we forget how to love. Cindy and Dean are working class people in the northeast. Cindy has aspirations, Dean doesn't. Dean loves his daughter and loves the lack of responsibility and intensity that his life as a laborer affords him. But without any forward thinking, he and Cindy have sunk into a monotony that is wearing them both out. The story is well told, with alternating clips between the present life and their meeting and courtship in the past. There is really only one lighthearted scene in the entire film, where Dean and Cindy sing and dance on a date. Otherwise, the tone of the film drops its full weight on the viewer, forcing you to feel as trapped as the protagonists. Not really fun to watch, but a really well made not-fun-to-watch film.

3 stars (out of 5)