Movie Mondays - Blue Valentine ♥ ♥

Essentially a love story but with a tragic twist, this is a simple story about a crumbling marriage..

Told in flash back style the movie teeters back and forth, taking us deeper into the lives of a couple Dean and Cindy falling in love only to find themselves falling out of love.. Their angst evident as they both go through the motions of marriage, Dean trying hard to salvage his marriage , save his family and Cindy having given up hope , yet fighting visibly expressing her anger and anguish at what could have been ..

The storyline is not new but the approach fascinatingly different , not to mention extremely poignant and powerful performances by Gosling and Williams ..

Two of my favorite moments in the movie are ..

The first - a scene during flashback when they go out together for the first time , when Dean renders his version of the " You always hurt the one you love " and Cindy does the impromptu tap dance ..

and the second - a scene towards the end of the movie , where Dean makes a desperate plea to save his marriage reminding Cindy of the vows she made to him on the day of their marriage..of promising to love him for better or for worse..also telling her that " I'm at my worst now but I'll get better.."

The emotion so raw ,the fear so palpable , its gut wrenching ..

and its not surprising to find yourself relating to it .. because the questions it raises are even more important .

What happened ? What went wrong ?

Is it beyond repair ? Can nothing be done to salvage it ?

Was it the right decision , right person , right time , right relationship ?

Everyone, including me,at one point in life or other has had one or all these questions looming large..

I believe in love

I believe in romance ..

but ...

Maybe all romances are not fairy tale romances.. maybe they are..

Maybe all fairy tale romances have a happy ending ..maybe they don't ..

Who decides .. ??

Cindy's grandma in the movie shares this piece of advise with her ..she says,"When you love someone , make sure he's worth it ...To YOU !! "

Maybe herein lies the answer ..

When you love someone , make sure he's/ she's worth it ...To YOU !!

My rating - 4/5

P.S.. Don't forget to watch as the film ends , the most awesome and totally emotional credit sequences ever put to film ..

yes , its a tug at your heartstrings... again ..sighhhh !!