10 Reasons You Must See 'Blue Valentine'

"Blue Valentine" is not what you probably think it will be. It's a starkly realistic, yet somehow intricately beautiful, film that's deserving of even more accolades than it has received. Here are 10 reasons that you really need to see this important cinematic masterpiece.

1. It will take you on a memorable journey. For one hour and 54 minutes your mind will be focused on the film, and you will learn, experience, and empathize.

2. The movie was a labor of love, quite literally. Director Derek Cianfrance gave up his director's fee in order to get the movie made. Clanfarance told the Hollywood Reporter that he really ended up losing money on the film, considering the fact that he had to pay taxes on the director's fee still, even though he returned it to the movie budget.

3. The darkness of the movie also shed light on a deeper truth. Well, as Entertainment Weekly writer Owen Gleiberman observed, "It stings so exquisitely."

4. Ryan Gosling gives such a vivid performance that you will want to really befriend the troubled and flawed character he portrays. You can't help but be truly invested in his character. Gosling was critically portrayed for his portrayal, and rightly so.

5. Michelle Williams rocks. This actress is just undeniably talented. Having followed her career for years, I think was very deserving of the Academy Award she received for her work in the movie. Her character in the film, although well-written, could have come off rather unlikable if not for the strong choices Williams made in bringing her to life.

6. It may inspire you on many levels. There's nothing reality (in a true, honest way, not in a reality TV sort of way) right up there on the screen as a reflection to wake you up to mirrored situations in your own life.

7. The trailer didn't give away the whole or heart of the movie! There's still so much to discover. More than a half-dozen times lately, I feel as though I have already seen a movie when it's opening credits have barely started. It's too common to reveal all the best parts of the movie in the trailer, but movie makers (or at least trailer makers) need to understand that the best parts should be saved. The story should not be given away in a commercial.

8. Movies should be more than a distraction. They should tell the truth, open your eyes, make you think. Yes, they should entertain, and this movie is very entertaining. Yet, it also does something more for you.

9. The movie will force you to look inside yourself and perhaps make decisions a bit more carefully. As beloved film critic Roger Ebert stated his "Sun Times" review of the film, "Who was it who said we get married because we want a witness to our lives? That may provide an insight into the troubled minds of the married couple in 'Blue Valentine,' which follows them during their first six years of mutual witness."

10. The screenwriters deserved to sweep the awards. The strong writing of this movie reveals a bold story of what can happen when one person marries in need, rather than in love.