I knew it was going to be uniquely exceptional from the start.

There has been so much hype about the film for a while now, so it was no surprise that the theatre was actually sold out the first weekend it came out. I saw the trailer a couple weekends ago, and I immediately knew I had to see it.
The Place Beyond the Pines, starring the forever beautiful Ryan Gosling (The Notebook), Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) and Eva Mendes (Hitch), is a film like none other I’ve seen. The plot was dynamic in a way that even though the film was long, the story kept flowing.
Gosling plays a motorcycle stunt rider named Luke who finds out he has a son with a woman named Romina, played by Mendes, who he had previous relations with. Rising to the occasion, Luke decides he wants to provide for Romina and the child. When nothing else seemed to suffice, Luke turned to robbing banks. But after a while of “riding like lightning,” Luke “crashed like thunder.”
Through unfortunate events, Luke’s life becomes intertwined with police officer Avery, played by Cooper. Avery has a strong ambition to get promoted in his police work but, at the same time, struggles to make the best decisions. Avery constantly has to choose between doing with is best for him and what is morally right.
Even fifteen years later, the drama continues. The film continually moved along, and no matter what the situation was, I was always intrigued and invested in each character. Director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) kept the story focused by connecting all the characters while shaking up whatever cliche I thought was going to happen next.
Overall, at its core, the film was about the undying love between father and son. The film presented many hardships between families and the battles humans have inside themselves as well. The only place the characters truly found their refuge and peace was their place beyond the pines.
At the end of the movie, I walked out of the theatre thinking about my life, and I suddenly became intoxicated with feelings of content. This is not a common occurrence. The film was so good, that as I left, I felt elated with the simple joys of life. The whole movie really was electric. Please go see it.
By Julia Schaller