Some movie titles are self explanatory. Some are ridiculous. Some are even named after songs, for example The Kids Are Alright, which is just plain lazy. Blue Valentine falls under a completely different category. It’s title perfectly describes the film, while being creative at the same time, and catchy to boot.

Valentine is a story that hits very close to home for a lot of couples around the world. Like a better organized Iñárritu film, it goes back and forth from present to past, as it shows a relationship build itself from scratch, then become a victim to wear and tear, ultimately finding itself in the path of a wrecking ball called time.

Dean (Ryan Gosling) is working for a moving company. As they move an old war vet into a retirement home, we see how caring Dean can be as he decorates the room for this complete stranger, in an effort to make him feel more at home. This is where he first meets Cindy (Michelle Williams), who is there visiting her ailing grandmother. After waiting for her call for some time, it seems it wasn’t meant to be, but, of course, we know better. They meet again on the public transportation circuit known as the bus. Although, reluctant at first, she caves in to his charm and so begins the struggle of maintaining a relationship.

Derek Cianfrance’s first full length effort is spectacularly bold. It’s hard to get an audience for destructive relationship dramas because most people needn’t leave their homes to find the same exact drama unfolding in front of them. Though you can’t tell from the plot, Valentine manages to distance itself from any conventional drama by using as much realistic qualities as possible.

The acting in this movie is top of the line. Williams and Gosling had nothing to prove but you wouldn’t know that from their performances. As painful as it is to watch some of the amazingly awkward and depressing scenes in the film, you can only imagine what it must have been like to shoot them. I will be thoroughly disappointed if the pair aren’t nominated for their respected categories.

This may seem very random, but one of the most impressive qualities of Blue Valentine is the ability to make the characters age so realistically. There are no absurd double chins that look like wet rubber hanging below the jaw or an overly protruding gut that isn’t proportional to the rest of the body. A slight hair cut to thin the hair line and wardrobe changes keeps it simple and really does the trick.

As you can see from our Best of 2010 list, Blue Valentine is one of the best films of the year. The reason is really a team effort. The writing, directing and acting all form together in one perfect circle. Although it’s depressing and definitely not for everybody, it’s a film that doesn’t hold back and we certainly need more of those.