Blue Valentine (2010)

Dean Pereira and Cindy Heller Pereira are a young working-class married couple with a young daughter, Frankie. Dean currently works as a painter and Cindy is a nurse at a medical clinic. Despite their relatively tender ages, they are both ravaged by the life they've eked out together and by the experiences they've had leading into their marriage. High-school dropout Dean comes from a broken home and never really had a mother figure; he never imagined getting married or having a family despite falling in love with Cindy at first sight. He has no professional ambition beyond his current work--which he enjoys since he feels he can down a beer at 8AM and it won't affect his work--although Cindy believes he has so much more potential in life. Cindy also comes from a dysfunctional family; her parents didn't set an example of a harmonious married or family life. One of her previous serious partners, Bobby Ontario, has had a profound effect on many aspects of her marriage to Dean. Dean and Cindy head off on an overnight getaway together without Frankie, seeking a clearer picture of whether their marriage can survive its many issues.—Huggo