“Blue Valentine” is raw, realistic and well-acted.

However, if you find yourself in a rocky relationship yourself as Valentine’s Day rapidly approaches, this may not be the film for you and your loved one.

“Gnomeo and Juliet” may be the better option.

In “Blue Valentine”, Dean and Cindy, played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, book a suite at a couple’s resort away from their daughter as a way to help reignite the spark in their marriage, which is essentially running on fumes.

As the night and the following day progresses, we see flashbacks chronicling the couple’s entire lifespan, from how they met to their rough patch now.

The film is like “Revolutionary Road,” but better, and resembles the great “(500) Days of Summer” in that it is realistic.

However, “Valentine” is told far more solemnly and more straightforward.

What makes the film so raw is the performances of Williams and Gosling.

The two really play off each other. Whether they’re fighting, making love, or even at one point, a combination of the two, it all feels authentic and never forced.

Plus, the movie was filmed as if the camera was never steadied on a tripod, so there is a voyeuristic feel to the movie, as if you were spying on a naturally unhappy couple slowly falling out of love.

There are plenty of uncomfortable moments throughout.

A scene in an abortion clinic was rough, the fate of the family dog (not twenty minutes into the movie, mind you) is sad and a fight that turns physical at Cindy’s work made me feel embarrassed for both the characters involved.

There is little happiness in the movie, and you have to know that going in.

But “Blue Valentine” is not torturous and bleak to sit through. The film is like a real relationship: at its happy points, it is very sweet and entertaining.

The heavily-publicized scene where Dean sings while Cindy dances outside a shop is among one of my favorite scenes, as is a very poor-taste joke that Cindy tells on a bus.

Almost all of those scenes are in the flashbacks, though. And as bittersweet as it is to see the same couple so happy and so sad in the same film, it still has some of the sweeter moments I’ve seen in a movie recently.

Another highlight of the film is the music, largely provided by the band Grizzly Bear. I am glad I got to be introduced to their music through this film, and they play against the scenes very well, including the beautiful, creatively executed closing credits.

I feel obligated to mention the NC-17 rating controversy, so here’s my take on it:

There are two scenes in the movie that, if I were a member of the Motion Picture Association of America, I would question based on the content themselves.

But I did not find them sexual in nature at all.

Dean was not pleasuring Cindy because he necessarily wanted to. He was doing it because he thought it would help their marriage.

That’s not sexy. That’s sad, and I don’t know anyone that would find the scenes arousing.

You have to know what you’re getting out of this movie, and this one presented a strange dichotomy for me.

I personally love sad movies, and this film was plenty sad for me. The film clocks in at almost two hours, and after about 75 minutes of it, I wanted it to just end, for Dean and Cindy’s sake.

Also, I was completely heartbroken for Dean, especially considering the situation with their daughter and what he gave up for her. And I really detested some of the decisions Cindy makes.

The film, though, gives almost no explanation as to why these two started falling apart the way they are.

My theory is that they grew apart while growing together. The fault lies with neither of the two.  They just stopped loving each other.

It’s called reality.

Time moves us all forward and apart, sometimes when we’re married to that person.

But even still, I really loved the film’s authenticity, the performances, the music, the exquisite pain it provided and I loved the movie overall.

After it was over, I walked away from my computer, trying to sift through everything that had just happened and ready to find my next happy relationship.

Just like Dean and Cindy do.