Like Marriage Story, Blue Valentine gives a raw, real, and extreme look at a marriage on the brink of divorce.
Blue Valentine is a lot harder to watch than Marriage Story, because the film takes a no holds barred look at how nasty things can get between a couple.
Additionally, William’s character clearly wants out but Gosling’s character is very much still holding on to a dream.
At least with Marriage Story, the two still seem to respect each other, but in Blue Valentine, Ryan Gosling’s and Michelle Williams’ characters have very scarring issues that help rapidly deteriorate their marriage.