Blue Valentine (2010)

Before Ryan Gosling was singing in the city of stars with Emma Stone, he co-starred in this beautiful indie romance with Michelle Williams. Dean and Cindy are a young married couple who deal with many problems plaguing their marriage over the span of a decade. While it is full of cute romance, the film does not hide from the contemporary issues that many relationships go through, giving a ‘before and after’ look at married life.  While Cindy is flourishing as a nurse at a medical clinic, Dean is still stuck in his adolescent mindset, unable to accept his wife’s success. With a daughter to think about, they struggle to find a balance in their relationship. When they embark on an overnight trip without her, they begin to figure out their future and their relationship. Williams captures the conflict that grows within her brilliantly, stuck between the love for her husband and the yearning for a better life.