''Happy Valley'' is a 2014 American
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
, written and directed by
Amir Bar-Lev
Amir Bar-Lev (born 1972) is an American film director, producer and writer from Berkeley, California.
Bar-Lev is noted for his work in directing documentary films. He has directed such films as ''Fighter'', a documentary film released August 24 ...
. The film had its world premiere at
2014 Sundance Film Festival
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 16, 2014 until January 26, 2014 in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance Resort in Utah. The festival opened with '' Whiplash'' directed by D ...
on January 19, 2014.
The film later screened at 2014
Sarasota Film Festival
The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and is held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-lo ...
and won the jury award at the festival.
Synopsis
The film narrates
the event
''The Event'' (stylized as THE EVƎNT) is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. It was created by Nick Wauters and aired on NBC from September 20, 2010 to May 23, 2011. ...
at The
Pennsylvania State University, when in November 2011 the former long-time defensive coordinator of school's football team,
Jerry Sandusky
Gerald Arthur Sandusky (born January 26, 1944) is an American retired college football coach and convicted serial child molester. Sandusky served as an assistant coach for his entire career, mostly at Pennsylvania State University under Joe ...
, was charged with 40 counts of child sex abuse, setting off a firestorm of accusations about who failed to protect the children.
Reception
''Happy Valley'' received positive reviews from critics.
Justin Chang
Justin Choigee Chang (born January 3, 1983) is an American film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times''. He previously worked for ''Variety''.
Early life
Justin Chang graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004. Chan ...
of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said in his review that "Amir Bar-Lev offers a typically gripping and thoughtful take on the Penn State scandal." John DeFore, in his review for ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'', praised the film, saying that "Amir Bar-Lev's ''Happy Valley'' is more concerned with the phenomenon of team spirit than any single question of fact or moral judgment." Eric Kohn Vaughan of ''
Indiewire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
'' graded the film with a B+ and said, "''Happy Valley'' turns the tables on the national perception of the scandal. Looking directly into the camera after the team has been banned by the league, one supporter shouts, 'Stop putting all the bad stuff on TV!' The words resonate for anyone who has followed the headlines from the past several years. Watching ''Happy Valley'', it's hard not to feel complicit in the university's weakened state."
Accolades
See also
*
List of American football films
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Happy Valley
2014 films
2014 documentary films
American documentary filmmakers
Documentary films about child abuse
Pennsylvania State University
Penn State Nittany Lions football
Films directed by Amir Bar-Lev
Films produced by John Battsek
2010s English-language films
English-language documentary films
Documentary films about Pennsylvania