12 years ago, a screenwriter wrote Blue Valentine. In 2003, Michelle Williams read it and loved it. On set a year ago, Derek Cianfrance (writer/director) told her he's glad she liked it, buuuuut, its obsolete and a new script is now in place.

Blue Valentine had a tumultuous journey before it hit screens. According to the producers, this movie had two actors on board 6 years prior: Williams and Gosling. But when financing finally got situated, the actors' schedules were not in unison. Finally, as fate usually has it, the window of opportunity opened. And Cianfrance wanted part of the financing of the movie to go toward Williams and Gosling shacking up-- like a real married couple, so that they can get into character. Of course they didn't LIVE there overnight, but they did stay there all day for a month and spent time with their "daughter" from time to time. He asked them to develop a relationship and get to know each other until shooting began. Well, shooting the lovey-dovey stuff was just a breeze for the actors. They got along just great. But, when it came time to film the feisty, bitter scenes, Cianfrance wanted the feelings to be organic. Williams had a hard time disliking her co-star, but Cianfrance explained to her just how important it was that they adopt these real emotions. 

The words: blue, Valentine imply exactly what this movie is about: love, but sad love. A marriage the sways from tender to worn, from passion to dissatisfaction. This movie provides what not many do: realness and honesty. Never do you see a soft lens used here. You almost feel like you're actually a fly on the wall in a married couple's life. And as you're taken back to the past and to the present, you see love juxtaposed from beginning to end. 

The movie, though hyped for its sexual content is really no worse than something like Love and Other Drugs. I suppose that what is more raw is the truth of the movie, which is the most difficult to face-- that love sometimes is just not enough. The conclusion is that not every ending is a happy one, and just like the title suggests love can be bittersweet.