The Valley

Wow, I still get chills thinking about this beautiful movie. It's strikes at the heart of the American "dream," and those who fail to live up to it. It holds a damning mirror up to a society that prizes monetary success, fancy college degrees and prestige among peers over soulfulness, healthy relationships and love. Especially blown away that this is the writer/director's first film. Brava!

Wow, I still get chills thinking about this beautiful movie. It's strikes at the heart of the American "dream," and those who fail to live up to it. It holds a damning mirror up to a society that prizes monetary success, fancy college degrees and prestige among peers over soulfulness, healthy relationships and love. Especially blown away that this is the writer/director's first film. Brava!

Wow, I still get chills thinking about this beautiful movie. It's strikes at the heart of the American "dream," and those who fail to live up to it. It holds a damning mirror up to a society that prizes monetary success, fancy college degrees and prestige among peers over soulfulness, healthy relationships and love. Especially blown away that this is the writer/director's first film. Brava!

This teen suicide drama isn't so much "good" and not that effective. The Valley is intended to shake up parents into examining their older children's behavior for signs of anxiety and depression -- and to take stock of how they might be unintentionally contributing to the pressure. The film's impact is not strong at all. The teen suicide craze since 13 Reasons Why is getting old.

Teens will be intrigued by seeing childhood throwback Jake T. Austin (Wizards of Waverly Place) in the role of a college bad boy. Unfortunately, the rest of the actors' performances have moments that lack authenticity. The constant flashbacks could leave some viewers confused and the pace is uneven. Audiences are also never allowed to forget that the story runs parallel to John Steinbeck's The Pearl. Saila Kariat's debut effort as a filmmaker is uneven.

All in all, this film is miss able and should not be seen in theaters.

Overall Rating: 2.0

For an Indie film this is a Powerful and captivating film that covers #mentalhelth issues in a way that we can all relate to. Stunning Cinema photography and the soundtrack is brilliantly done.

Powerful (tragic) story with wonderful characters directed by new talent Saila Kariat. A must-see for parents of teens in high-pressure situations.

Nearly 20% of high school students report serious thoughts of suicide and 9% actually attempt. (Ref: National Alliance on Mental Illness) Suicide is a second leading cause of deaths in 15-19 years old.. As the research says that the brain's control center aka prefrontal cortex does not develop fully until mid-20s. That causes young people to be more impulsive. There are many factors that drive these young people to have suicidal thoughts such as peer pressure, sibling rivalry, parents pressure to ace in all and 'nothing less than Ivy league' expectations from them, parents' marital issues, environment at school/college or at home and the influence of social media!! Often the warning flags are ignored. And also, we as a society fail to provide an outlet where young people can talk or discuss freely about their fears, depression, anxiety, and other issues without being judged.

This movie raises such questions. A sophomore commits suicide and a grieving father looks for answers. "Why?" "Who is responsible?" A thought provoking story. Convincing performances by Suchita Pillai and Alyy Khan. Although run-of-the-mill performances by others, lack of depth in story telling and the editing that is rough around the edges make the movie a middling one, it is an informative docudrama.