Happy Valley is a 2014 documentary, which was written and directed by Amir Bar-Lev, who also directed The Tillman Story. The documentary follows the Penn State child abuse scandal. The film does an excellent job outlining the entire scandal from the lead up to the conclusion and the aftermath.
The film begins with some of the courtroom drama, before jumping back in time and showing archived video of Sandusky, before he became the superstar coach. There isn’t any attempt to overdramatize anything! Happy Valley is a straightforward look at the accounts from both sides of the aisle. After Jerry is sent to prison, the film turns to Joe Paterno and his potential involvement.
The film remains unbiased, when speaking about Paterno, although it seems more people favor Joe than go against his word. At times, the Paterno family seems a little delusion to this father’s lack of action against Sandusky. Of course, the majority of the local residents feel the same, so it likely makes it easier for them to justify.
Aside from interviews with the Paterno family, residents and Matt Sandusky, there isn’t much new or revealing in Happy Valley. Of course, this doesn’t matter. The film tells the entire tale of the wicked Jerry Sandusky and his colleagues, who helped cover it up. The only thing that could’ve potentially made the film more compelling would’ve been sit down interviews with the victims, which was never going to happen.
As long as you don’t get infuriated with the delusional Paterno family, you’ll enjoy Happy Valley. Amir Bar-Lev puts together an excellent film, which is on the same level as the Tillman Story. Overall, an 8 out of 10 is deserved.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
great write up, short and to the point.