Month: January 2011

• Director: Derek Cianfrance
• Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
• (****) 4/5

Sometimes there is no need for big setups or complex plot-lines, no twist in the tale or Hollywood happy ending. Often the most touching and affecting films are those that draw closely on real life, enabling the audience to relate on a personal level. Easier than it sounds, but the difficulty lies in casting actors with the bravery and raw talent to convey the authenticity of the everyday. Sometimes a straight line can be the hardest to draw. It is more technically and emotionally challenging to inhabit a character rooted in the normal, than say a psychotic ballerina or a stuttering monarch. The themes explored are free to resonate within each actor, allowing them to draw on individual experience to inform the performances.

“Blue Valentine” director Derek Cianfrance had the good fortune to cast two leading actors who are quickly establishing themselves as real and credible talents. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play Dean and Cindy, their developing and diminishing love story viewed in non-linear narrative; focusing on the inception and heartbreaking end of their relationship. They meet at 24, fresh faced and with a willing openness to love. Dean is a goofy romantic, he serenades Cindy with his ukelele while she dances for him in the street. Cindy, an aspiring student with hopes of a career in medicine is initially cautious of Dean, eventually giving in.

The films jumps between past and present, showing us how Dean and Cindy first met, how they fell in love and how Cindy fell pregnant. We flick back and forth between then and now; a present in which Cindy and Dean attempt to reignite the spark of the past. The broken time structure shows nothing of the 6 years in between, allowing us to develop our own understanding of each character. Dean is now slightly overweight, balding and drinks too much, while Cindy is overworked and overtired. They are unable to communicate without fighting, they pick out flaws in each other, imperfections that they probably found endearing at the start. Often they do not even need to speak to articulate the distance that has grown between them. Dean is a some time house painter and Cindy is working as a nurse. The unrealised potential that Dean has frustrates Cindy – who is ambitious and driven. The traditional gender roles are all but reversed, with Dean preferring to stay home and play with their daughter Frankie.

The film lives and breathes through the raw and honest performances of Gosling and Williams. Both characters are damaged and complex, it is the conflict in each of their characters that give them such depth and vulnerability. Dean is drifting into alcoholism and struggles to hold down a job, but he is a good father and loves his wife and child. Cindy can be selfish and cruel, but is also ambitious and smart – she wants the best for her family. Neither of them have done anything ‘wrong’, there are no affairs or violence – no big incident to incite their decline. Their relationship has become sour and bitter, the love that once was has slowly worn away over the years. In a heartbreaking final scene, Dean struggles to understand what went wrong begging “Tell me how I should be. Just tell me. I’ll do it. ” while Cindy repeatedly sobs “I can’t take this anymore”. There is no bad guy, there is no good guy. They are two people caught up in a terrible situation. The passion and romance of the early days replaced with resentment and disdain.

Cianfrance’s intimate direction is full of sharp focus close ups and he makes ordinary backdrops seem strikingly beautiful, soaked in faded colours. His trust in his actors to improvise certain key scenes allowed for a remarkable realism to exist, the couple seem so natural together – whether they are happy or not. The pain conveyed by Gosling and Williams is almost too much to bear, it is an emotionally draining experience. “Blue Valentine” harks back to the blue collar suburban realism of John Cassavetes, Cianfrance crafts a similarly taut examination of family – soundtracked perfectly by Grizzly Bear’s understated melancholy and ornate melodies. We Shouldn’t really care for Dean or Cindy, but the strength of their performance attracts you to their flawed characters. Gosling and Williams have matured into fine actors, capable of tackling characters of astounding depth. “Blue Valentine” is the rarest of films, a grown up tale of unflinching honesty that does not pander to melodrama or cliche. It is not a story of love found and lost, but of love endured; a love that slowly and painfully dies.

2011 : A Film Odyssey is the movie review site of Chris Vaughan.

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It’s an all too familiar feeling. What seemed like a good idea to have that third mince pie or extra serving of pudding a few weeks back has left you feeling sluggish and feeling the pinch around the waistband.  With the average person gaining 5lbs over the party season the National Trust is giving you the chance to shed some of your weight gain with a new month long, outdoor challenge.

The challenge builds on recent research by the University of Essex which shows that exercising in a natural environment boosts people’s physical and mental health more than going to indoor gyms, even in winter.  This suggests that the Outdoor Gym Challenge, which can be done anywhere – not just in the breathtaking outdoors places looked after by the Trust – could prove to be far more beneficial and less costly than signing up for New Year gym membership, 60 per cent of which are given up in the first six months.

Exercises in the challenge include power walking, tree press ups and ‘spotty dogs’ (on the spot step backs using opposite arm and leg).

In Northern Ireland the National Trust has an abundance of properties with perfect outdoor gyms.  At Castle Ward in County Down explore the stunning 820 acre walled demesne with walking, running and cycling trails. There’s a popular 3.2 mile running route and a 2.4 mile woodland route which is a good all over body workout as the terrain works every muscle and there’s plenty of scenery to keep the mind alert.

Rowallane Garden and Minnowburn both offer long walking trails and ample safe space to run and exercise in the outdoors.  Whilst on the outskirts of Belfast, Divis and the Black Mountain is a walkers paradise where you can combine a walk with a spot of geocaching- an outdoor activity in which you have to seek and find caches using GPS technology. There are four caches hidden in this dramatic, windswept landscape which take in the summit of Black Mountain as well as the National Trust visitor centre and a circular way-marked walk around the mountain.

Or why not head to Portstewart Strand where many walkers and families enjoy the two miles of magnificent golden sands.  A super way marked trail at the top of the sand ladder meanders through 6,000 year old dunes to the river edge at the Bann Estuary.  The serenity of the estuary provides habitats for shelducks and other waders – a wonderful contrast to the wind and waves of the open beach.

Further along in County Fermanagh, Castle Coole and Florence Court both offer perfect outdoor gym spaces for walkers, joggers and keen runners.  Cyclists can also gather some speed at Florence court along the cycle trails on site.

Other key sites include;

• Mount Stewart Co Down, where abundant walks await
• On the North Coast, Downhill Demesne and Carrick-a-Rede to the Giant’s Causeway – coastal walks
• Springhill – the perfect outdoor gym offering forest and acres of open space for all sorts of exercise
• The Argory – with riverside and wider estate walks as well as cycle paths and trails to explore while burning off the calories

Jo Burgon, Outdoors Programme Director at the National Trust, said: “Enabling everyone to enjoy the outdoors is one of the core reasons why the Trust exists.   One of our founders, Octavia Hill wanted to bring peace and beauty into the lives of ordinary people, and she campaigned to save open spaces from development and to protect access across the UK.  Everyone across the region can enjoy an outdoor gym where a National Trust open space is nearby.  We have miles of coastline and countryside with many paths for walkers and those who enjoy the great outdoors.

Dr Jo Barton, a green exercise specialist with the University of Essex, said: “The effects of exercising outdoors in natural surroundings can be life changing.  This is because of the effect it has on your mood and levels of self-esteem.

“Mood is an integral component of daily life and strongly influences our feelings of happiness and how we cope with stressful situations.  Exercising in nature lifts your mood and boosts your self-esteem.  It also has immunising properties which helps you deal with future challenges more effectively.

“Research implies this is true regardless of the weather conditions, where you are, and how long you exercise outside.  Even a five minute walk outside to escape your work can reenergise you and restore your mental fatigue. This is even more important in winter months when daylight hours are reduced.  A short walk on a crisp winter morning can really lift your spirits and set you up for the day.”

The exercise challenge, devised by Somerset outdoor training company Eco Fitness which already runs exercise programmes at the National Trust’s Stourhead in Wiltshire, has been designed to ease people into an outdoors regime where exercise is more like fun then a chore.

Jennie Antell from Eco Fitness said: “We hope people will be inspired to just get outdoors and give our plan a go.  Weekend activities are fun and sociable and focused around exercising with friends and family, and in the week we want to encourage people to make effective use of their lunch hour and grab some time outside.

“No props or equipment are needed.  It really is easy to join in.  It’s just a case of wearing the right clothing and getting outside to enjoy the fresh air, whatever the weather.”

The Trust’s outdoor gym challenge marks the start of its five year focus on the Outdoors.  To follow the day-by-day plan, visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/outdoorgym