Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine follows Dean and Cindy, a married couple whose relationship has worn down over six years together. What began as a passionate romance that produced a daughter and a marriage has given way to routine and resentment. Cindy, a doctor, wants more from her career and her life; Dean has let his professional ambitions go and is content with less. Arguments about money and their child wear both of them down. Hoping to recover something of what they once had, Dean suggests a night at a themed motel, choosing a room built around a vision of the future. The film moves between that night and earlier moments from the couple's past, tracing how they met and fell in love alongside the distance that has grown between them.

Derek Cianfrance directed and co-wrote the film with Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis. It was his first feature as director, ahead of The Place Beyond the Pines, The Light Between Oceans and Roofman. Ryan Gosling plays Dean and Michelle Williams plays Cindy, with supporting turns from John Doman, Mike Vogel, Ben Shenkman and Jen Jones among a credited cast of thirty-four.

Made for about 1 million USD, the film took roughly 15 million USD worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 7.3/10 from around 224,000 votes, and on TMDB 7/10 from about 3,600 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 7.8/10 from 211 reviews, somewhat above the audience scores.