Ryan Gosling, Part Two

It's time to share my two thoughts for Tuesday...as we like to do at BlogDumps. Recently, I featured Ryan Gosling on LiggyzDreamz's Dream Guy of the Week. (Post 07/17/2011)

First off, I'm thinking that I could have mentioned the painfully dramatic role he played opposite Michelle Williams in the 2010 indie film, Blue Valentine. 
Though not a blockbuster hit, the movie did earn several critical nominations, including a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for Michelle Williams (who was incredibly amazing as a conflicted young woman who didn't want to end up like her verbally abused mother). At first I wasn't quite sure how I'd take the movie. I think Ryan Gosling is a brilliantly talented actor, but to see him in a movie that was rated NC-17 (for strong sexual content) and which barely made it to its final R rating, I didn't know if it would affect my respect for his acting ability.  Anyway, I finally got to view the film last night and was shockingly surprised.

I watched the film very intently, trying to understand where the characters were coming from.  Halfway through the film, I was feeling emotionally strained - not in a way to make me want to stop watching it though.  I felt strained because the emotions that these two actors (Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams) conveyed were so realistic.  Through their dialogue and facial expressions, I could feel their deep pain and anguish.  There was love, yes, and you could see and feel it when they did.  But when they struggled, you almost want to "mediate" in their relationship to help them.  They make you feel like they deserve the help.  After all, they were trying, too.  They weren't just giving up on their relationship.  Yet at the same time, you can see that there was nothing there to really hold the relationship together.

 

As a second thought, I don't normally recommend or suggest films with such sexual content, but those few scenes were very needed to describe the depth of the situation that the characters were in.  (Just cover your eyes or go to the bathroom if you don't want to see those scenes).  I think there is a lot to study and learn about relationships from this film - especially where it comes to the value of communication, the challenges of building relationships forged from nothing in common, and the tragic effects of a person's dysfunctional family background on a couple's struggle to be better.  

On a more serious note, if you're already in a successful relationship (one that works for both parties and makes you both happy), this film will probably make you appreciate what you've got even more. 

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