Cindy, a medical student, and Dean, a transport worker and amateur musician, meet in the old people's home where Cindy is caring for her grandmother and Dean has to arrange a house move. Dean is a simple man, but he beguiles the girl with his wit and charming ideas. It doesn't take long for the two to fall in love and marry, despite embarrassing questions from Cindy's parents - although the child that Cindy is expecting and, contrary to her previous intention, will not have an abortion, is the result of her ex-lover Bobby.
A perfect marital bliss and then a deeply sad marital drama play out on two time levels, a drama with two people who love each other but are not made for each other.
Derek Cianfrance has delivered something of a literary and cinematic masterpiece here, and his artful directorial work was justifiably celebrated at Sundance.
In addition, Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling are unsurpassed from start to finish, helping to make BLUE VALENTINE one of the best romantic films of all time that hardly anyone knows.