The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

Loading Recent Classifieds...
The Girls Who Code club met together in Sierra Hall, on Friday, Sept. 15, in Northridge, Calif. Club members played around with a program to create a virtual game.
The CSUN club that’s encouraging women in STEM
Miya Hantman, Reporter • September 18, 2023

CSUN’s Girls Who Code club is just one of many across many campuses and countries, including 110 in...

Students form a crowd for DJ Mal-Ski on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 in Northridge, Calif.
Matador Nights carnival makes a splash at the USU
Ryan Romero, Sports Editor • September 21, 2023

The University Student Union hosted “Matador Nights” on Sept. 8 from 7 p.m. to midnight. The...

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock by FiledIMAGE.
Women’s Soccer has Closed the Competitive Gap
Luis Silva, Reporter • September 19, 2023

There is no longer a significant competitive gap in the sport of women’s soccer. There is a brighter...

The line for concert merchandise on the second night of The Eras Tour in Paradise, Nev., on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
My experience at The Eras Tour
Miley Alfaro, Sports Reporter • September 18, 2023

It’s been a long time coming. I began watching The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift’s ongoing concert trek,...

Within the Oaxacan town of Asuncion Nochixtlan, we find my mother’s birthplace, Buena Vista. Photo taken July 29, 2023.
I Love Being Mexican
September 12, 2023
A student holds up a sign during a rally outside of the CSU Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2023.
CSU board approves tuition increase amid protests
Trisha Anas, Editor in Chief • September 15, 2023

The California State Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a 6% tuition increase for the next five...

group of mena and women touching hands
Miracles In Action Restores Patients’ Lives and Actualizes their Potential

Actors shine in ‘Blue Valentine’

Strong performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams highlight a controversial marital story in “Blue Valentine.”

Multiple nominations in different film festivals and award ceremonies, including the Golden Globes, made “Blue Valentine” one of the most talked about movies of 2010. Director Derek Cianfrance, who is not well known among most moviegoers, will most certainly put his name on the map of Hollywood’s most promising directors.

The movie made the headlines last year when it was announced that it would receive a rare NC-17 rating due to a violent sex scene.  Yet before it was released in theaters, the rating was changed to R.

“Blue Valentine” is the story of a couple that is going through one of the most difficult times of their relationship. Dean and Cindy, played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, are portrayed in past and present moments of their lives. They are a couple struggling to keep their marriage together for the sake of their daughter. While the audience wonders whether love and passion are in the past or the future of this family, the emotional rollercoaster doesn’t stop till the last minute of the film.

Depressing to a point and thought provoking, it’s not your average love story. You get to see a relationship at its worst, and “Blue Valentine” displays what most people try to hide or keep private: their personal secrets, mistakes, failures and inability to reach the goals they once had. Love gives us strength to overcome obstacles, but if it goes away or perhaps was never there for at least one person in a relationship, how long before it all falls apart? If you leave, you are selfish.  If you stay, you’re most likely just postponing the inevitable. It is hard to make a choice, especially when the future of a child is in your hands.

Critically acclaimed performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams will not disappoint you, but don’t seem original either. Both actors at one point of their career already had similar roles. Gentle, passionate and romantic Gosling in “The Notebook” seems similar to this character, while Williams played a stressed-out and hurt wife in “Brokeback Mountain.” Gosling seems to show a wider range of emotions, while Williams stays more consistent throughout the movie.

Cianfrance shows us the thin line between love and hatred, and how certain choices might lead in the opposite direction of an intended route. Many sensitive issues are depicted in this movie, including abortion, family violence, infidelity, etc. Cianfrance lets you decide whose side you are on, if there is a right or wrong side, because even the best intentions sometimes end up being the worst decisions.

**** out of 5

More to Discover