**It is a discreet film, which can go unnoticed, but very intense, realistic, believable and that can be difficult to see for many people.** Romantic dramas aren't exactly my favorite type of film, but I recognize the quality of work done in this film, and the skill of director Derek Cianfrance. In almost every way, this film was a labor of love, drawing heavily on the director's personal experience who, as a…

A really rather dreary depiction of two young people from pretty dysfunctional backgrounds who get together - with her baby from another relationship - and struggle through life. Ryan Gosling is "Dean" a working class man quite content to make his way as a handy man/painter whilst "Cindy" (Michelle Williams) is a nurse who has (slightly) greater aspirations for both of them, and her little girl. The story is…

A film that feels like falling in and out of love in the same breath. It doesn’t warn you, it just wounds you - with all the tenderness and cruelty of real intimacy. Ryan and Michelle aren’t acting - they’re remembering. And maybe that’s the most painful thing of all.