Can’t Find Blue Valentine on Netflix? (How to Watch It)

Want to watch the hit movie that pretty much dismantled the notion of romantic love back in 2010? Blue Valentine is a great choice for anyone who’s a fan of real emotional dramas and amazing acting. But why isn’t it available on Netflix?

Well, here’s the thing – the movie is on Netflix. It’s just not available in your country. To see where you can watch this Netflix titles, you should use StreamCatcher. It’s an online service from ProPrivacy that shows you where Netflix shows and movies are available.

Right now, it seems that the movie is only available in India on Netflix:

StreamCatcher receives regular updates as Netflix’s licensing rights expire and they renew them or buy new ones. So be sure to check the availability of Blue Valentine before doing anything to make sure it didn’t become available in a different country overnight.

Why is Blue Valentine only available in one country, though? Especially when you consider the fact that Netflix works in over 190 countries.

We’ll tell you everything you need to know about that in this article (including how to unblock and watch Blue Valentine on Netflix).

Why Can’t You Watch Blue Valentine in Other Countries on Netflix?

Because Netflix uses geo-blocks to stop you from doing that. Here’s what goes on when you try to access the Blue Valentine Netflix link from Google:

  1. When you access that link, your browser sends a connection request to Netflix.
  2. That request contains your IP address (among other metadata).
  3. Netflix checks your IP. When it does that, it learns what your geo-location is. Don’t forget – your IP address tells sites what country and city you are from.
  4. Based on that information, Netflix redirects your connection to the regional content library that matches your geo-location (your country’s library which doesn’t have Blue Valentine).

If you’re already on Netflix and try to look up the movie, the search results won’t show it. That’s because you’re already on your country’s content library. Since it doesn’t have the movie, you can’t find and watch it.

Why Does Netflix Use Geo-Restrictions?

Contrary to popular belief, Netflix doesn’t do this “for fun.” They have to use geo-blocks. They don’t have a choice.

Why?

Because most of the content you see on their platform isn’t owned by them. Instead, Netflix licenses it from copyright holders. When it does that, the company tries to get global rights so that they can stream a title worldwide. But that’s not always possible.

Sometimes, the licensing rights for certain countries aren’t for sale because other competitors (streaming sites and TV networks) already bought them.

Other times, Netflix doesn’t buy licensing rights for certain countries because their analytics say people living there wouldn’t be interested in them. Since they spend a lot of money on licensed content, they can’t just make investments that aren’t profitable.

Can You Unblock Blue Valentine on Netflix?

Yes, you can. And no, you don’t need to plan a trip to the country where the movie is currently available (India at the moment).

Instead, all you need to do is use a VPN. It’s an online service that stops Netflix from seeing your geo-location. Here’s how it does that:

  1. First, you use download a VPN app to your device.
  2. Then, you install and use it to connect to a VPN server.
  3. Once the app and server establish the connection, you can visit Netflix.
  4. When you do that, the server will intercept your traffic, and forward it to the Netflix on your behalf.
  5. That “tricks” Netflix into thinking your connection is coming from the VPN, not your device.
  6. Due to that, Netflix will only see the VPN’s IP address.

Besides that, VPNs also encrypt your traffic end-to-end. That stops ISPs from spying on your traffic. If they can’t do that, they won’t know you’re using Netflix. Without that crucial information, they won’t be able to throttle your bandwidth (selectively lower your Netflix speeds).

How to Watch Blue Valentine on Netflix with a VPN (Step-By-Step Guide)

It’s really simple – just follow these six steps:

  1. First, subscribe to a VPN. We used NordVPN (like StreamCatcher recommended), and had no problems watching the whole movie.
  2. Next, download the right app for your device.
  3. Install the VPN app, and run it.
  4. Use the app to connect to a server in a country where the movie is available. When we tried this, we used an Indian server.
  5. Head to Netflix, log into your account, and look up Blue Valentine.
  6. The movie should show up for you. Hit Play and start watching!

How to Optimize VPN Speeds for Blue Valentine (Quick Guide)

VPNs slow down your speeds, and it can sometimes get pretty annoying. To fix that, try this:

  • Use a server that’s close to you. In our tests, we were restricted to using an Indian server. Luckily, NordVPN allowed us to pick the location (the city). Since our tester was from Europe, we used the Mumbai server since it was closer to us than the Chennai one.
  • Use lightweight protocols like WireGuard, L2TP/IPSec, and IKEv2. OpenVPN is too resource-intensive for this job. If you’re stuck with it, though, use it over UDP instead of TCP.
  • Try unblocking Blue Valentine over wired connections instead of WiFi. You’ll get better speeds that way.
  • Disable background apps you’re not using. Not only are they memory hogs, but they also eat up additional bandwidth you might need.

The Bottom Line

Blue Valentine is available on Netflix, but you can’t watch it worldwide. According to our tests, only the Indian Netflix library has this movie. To unblock it, you need to use an Indian VPN server (from a provider like NordVPN, for example).

If you happen to know other countries that have this movie, please let us know in the comments. Also, if you used other methods to unblock Blue Valentine on Netflix, please tell us about them.