Nothing looks attractive under a microscope. It’s no surprise then that when director Derek Cianfrance places a young couple’s relationship under minute scrutiny, the results are far from pretty.

It was love at first sight for Dean (Ryan Gosling), but it took Cindy (Michelle Williams) that little bit longer. The couple soon fall head over heels for each other though. Not long after, Cindy finds herself pregnant, and the pair find themselves parents to a daughter.

With the passing of time comes the appearance of cracks in their relationship. From the outside, it appears that something broke along the way. All too soon they realise that not everything that’s broken can necessarily be fixed.

I knew we shouldn't have taken those "Eat me" pills. Now how am I gonna play this guitar?

What Cianfrance has achieved with his second film is an attempt to get into the very nitty and the gritty of a young couple together. Its choppy narrative gives a sensation of looking through a photo album of their lives; turning the pages back and forth within their timeline, revealing random snapshots – both good and bad.

Due to the selectiveness of this process, key elements of their time together are left out. These omissions almost entirely amount to the moment/moments that pinpoint the beginning of the end. Without them, the film hinges on unsettling vagueness and uncertainty. It’s all very well giving the audiences glimpses of the good and the bad, but without a reference point, it’s difficult to not only relate to one or the other, but more importantly, the pair as a couple.

What’s left is a disintegration of a loving relationship without the causality; a time bomb that’s been activated without prior knowledge as to why. In doing so, Cianfrance is only prepared to show one or two cards from the hand he’s holding, opting to keep the rest very close to his chest indeed. What he therefore decides to reveal are emotions on a very sliding scale.

At the broken heart of the film are the two strong performances from its leads; both Gosling and Williams peel back every layer to reveal an unflinching rawness to their characters. Even the most voyeuristic may wince at the level of honesty the two of them reach.

Despite the fact that the film never relies on clichéd storylines involving either physical or mental abuse, it still manages to pack a mighty punch with its wayward emotional compass that constantly struggles to find the comfort in knowing where North is.

Ultimately, this film delivers depending if you’re prepared to watch a couple crumble before your very eyes, without understanding the root of the collapse. For those who will understandably struggle without the why’s and wherefore’s in place, it may feel that the film loses a little part of its heart it so desperately needs, only to reinforce the feeling that nothing hurts more than lost love.