One has to assume that when a filmmaker sets out to make a movie they have a particular goal in mind. They make the film with an intended effect or objective and do what they can to achieve this. (Of course, there are plenty of directors who don't appear to have any goals when making their movies, but we won't talk about them here.) Given that, can we say that if the director succeeds in obtaining their ambition that we get a good movie. Not necessarily. Fulfilling one's vision does not always equate to a movie which will be fulfilling to the audience. Case in point, Blue Valentine.

Blue Valentine focuses on the relationship of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams). The film opens in the present, where we see that Dean and Cindy live with their young daughter, Frankie (Faith Wladyka). Dean works as a house-painter and Cindy is a nurse. At first, they seem like a normal, hard-working, busy family. Then we begin to see that not all is well with the couple. The story then begins to intertwine the story of how Dean and Cindy met. Despite the fact that they come from different worlds, Dean is determined that Cindy will be his, unaware of the fact that she has a boyfriend, Bobby (Mike Vogel). As the film progresses, we see how the romance evolved and devolved.

Blue Valentine comes from Director/Co-writer Derek Cianfrance (with Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis) and it's clear that he wanted to create a movie which provides us with two snapshots of a relationship -- the beginning and the ending. And he has certainly succeeded at this. Cianfrance has built a career making documentaries and he takes a somewhat similar approach here, as he literally documents the growth and demise of the romance between Dean and Cindy. The use of handheld camera, long takes and grainy footage (in the flashbacks) heightens the documentary feel. Despite the fact that this is his first narrative film, Cianfrance shows a great deal of talent. The film opens on an odd note, but then seems to settle into a groove showing Dean and Cindy in the present. However, scenes from the past begin to intrude (some may find this confusing at first) and the movie begins to parallel how the two met and what their relationship is like now. There is some very good symbolism here and it's interesting to note how the two timelines are shot differently.

This is a very emotionally charged story and Blue Valentine doesn't hesitate to pass this along to the audience. In short, this is a very depressing movie. Even the courtship between Dean and Cindy is sort of sad, as they are so awkward. As the movie progresses, the level of sadness and desperation builds, and each scene becomes more and more uncomfortable. The movie contains what may be one of the most soul-crushing sex scenes ever in a movie. Even more awkward is the scene in which Dean meets Cindy's parents. The movie doesn't pull any punches when it shows just how hurtful a couple can be towards one another.

Again, Cianfrance has clearly achieved his goal and he's made an impressive movie. However, that doesn't mean that it's fully satisfying. This may seem nitpicky, but the movie suffers from not showing us the middle of the relationship. It appears that Dean and Cindy have been together for about 5 years, and we can't help but wonder what has transpired in those intervening years. It's easy to assume some things such as frustration and crushed dreams, but it would have been nice to get some clear answers. Had there been one big event? Was it merely years of building pressure? The missing middle is a gaping hole in what is otherwise a well-made movie. This isn't to imply that Blue Valentine isn't worth seeing, as it is, but be warned of two things. First, the movie is very sad and probably isn't a good date movie, and secondly, some may find themselves longing over the missing pieces of the story.

Blue Valentine made me want to go to a theme hotel on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 1.66:1 (which means that there are black bars on the sides of the screen) and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 20 Mbps. The two aspects of the story were shot in different ways. The flashbacks (shot on 16mm film) are grainy and the colors are a bit washed out. The present (shot on HD) is very sharp and clear, with no grain and very good colors. This may sound like a drastic shift, but it really isn't that distracting while watching the film. While the video quality does shift from time-to-time, overall it looks good and the Blu-ray Disc does a fine job of handling the various looks of this movie. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 3.5 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. This is a very quiet movie, so we don't get a lot of dynamic effects here. However, there are some moderate stereo and surround effects during street scenes and the dialogue is always audible.

The Blue Valentine Blu-ray Disc has just a few extra features. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Derek Cianfrance and Co-Editor Jim Helton. The Disc contains four DELETED SCENES which run about 20 minutes. The vast bulk of this is a lot of long shots of new relationship playfulness between Dean and Cindy. "The Making of Blue Valentine" (14 minutes) contains extensive comments from Cianfrance, Williams, and Gosling who discuss their involvement in the movie and the film's production. We learn the unique way in which Cianfrance built the movie and got Williams and Gosling involved and how the actors got into their roles. We also see some footage of Gosling, Williams, and the actress who plays their daughter getting to know one another. "Frankie and the Unicorn" (3 minutes) is taken from the rehearsal footage and shows Gosling, Williams, and young Faith Wladyka playing together.