What do we want, expect, from love? The big question is addressed – if not fully answered, as if it could ever be – in this examination of the birth and death of the marriage of Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams) who, like all of us, begin the journey with high hopes and end it with shattered illusions.

A FILM about love, sacrifice and commitment that’s every bit as sombre as the title suggests, Blue Valentine (US/16/116 mins) stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as Dean and Cindy, a blue-collar married couple struggling to keep their marriage together even as they drift apart.

Actress Michelle Williams appeared to be taking inspiration from the late Marilyn Monroe at the premiere of her new film, 'Blue Valentine', at the London Film Festival.