"Blue Valentine"

2010 * R * 1h 52m I'm a huge fan of the immensely talented Michelle Williams. She's been in numerous Hollywood films including the The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg's new. semi-autobiographical offering. She's also starred in a number of excellent indie movies over the years including the beautiful yet sad Wendy and Lucy and Blue Valentine. 

The film is about a young couple Cindy (Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) and their adorable young daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka). At first they seem like your typical happy family. Dean is a perfect dad and dotes on his daughter. We see them as they go about their daily routine, getting up in the morning and preparing for the day. Dean has a menial job as a house painter and drinks throughout the day, and totally lacks ambition. .Cindy is a hard-working nurse working in the maternity ward of a hospital. 

Then the film jumps back in time and we learn about how they met and first fell in love. Cindy comes from a blue-color family ruled by an aggressively mean father (John Doman) and we don't know anything about Dean's background until much later. Back in the present day, the couple decides to spend an alcohol-fueled night in a cheesy motel. Let's just say the trip starts out on a bad note and the things only get worse.They let their true feeling come to the surface and it's not pleasant to watch. 

It's not the cheeriest of movies, but the acting and writing are powerful. You can empathize with the couple and really feel their pain. And you can't help but feel sorry for their young daughter. If you're in the mood for a two hour acting class, give this one a shot. You'll be richly rewarded. 

4 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming for free with your library card on Hoopla.com and Kanopy.com. Also on Tubi and Freevee (for free), Pluto TV and Prime Video.