User reviews

It actually is more like who ... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Not that the pacing of the movie would have you in that mood. So if you like fast paced told stories, you might want to look somewhere else. But if you are into stories told slowly and soaking in the mood and the ambient and everything else, this is exactly for you.

Now the fantasy (or fairy?) element of it all is there, but it is quite dark. And while not every question will be answered (remember that and don't blame the movie for it), you will have a lot of tension and a kid that has to physically cross to the other side (analogies and all) - what will he find and will we be able to make sense of it? Well that is for you to discover and to draw your own conclusions ...

A slowly unfolding gothic mood piece about a young rural boy trying to come to grips with the disappearance of his older brother, his mother's despair & struggles, and a series of savage sheep maulings in his farming community. Low on dialogue, but full of mist, towering environmental symbols, mystery and omens, this quietly moving examination of childhood confusion and grief might have been more bluntly entitled, "Is My Brother a Werewolf?"!

Plot-heavy would not be a correct description of this moody, introspective piece by Norwegian first-time director Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen. Although founded in a realistic universe and a Northern-European drama tradition, the film balances constantly and rather elegantly on the line to the supernatural, and Gulbrandsen's real trick here, and the film's best asset, is the way serious, grown-up matters are viewed through the eyes of the six year old lead-character. The filmmakers skilfully use the camera to take the big, scary world in through the eyes of the child, and demonstrate that we must all interpret, process and ultimately come to terms with events in our lives utilizing our own level of experience. In other words: Life must be lived by no other than yourself. It's relatable stuff for anyone who has been a child, even those who had forgotten how it was. Skyggenes dal is a slow-moving and in many ways uneventful film that may not catch the interest of everyone, but it's made with considerable amounts of thoughtfulness and flair by a clearly talented filmmaker. Worth a watch.

Incredibly boring film. How does a boat with no means of propulsion create a wake floating down a river? The woo is strong in this film. Also why does a little boy go around half naked in a freezing landscape?

6-year old Aslak lives with his mother in a rural town in Norway. Through Aslak's friend we learn that something has been brutally killing the farmers' sheep. Caught in a mix of family secrets and small town struggles, Aslak finds himself drawn into the dense woods behind his house.

Together with Aslak, our young protagonist, we explore the great unknown though the eyes of a child lost in the woods. Danger and curiosity go hand in hand as the movie unfolds. What is real and what isn't? There is something beautifully innocent in looking to nature for answers we cannot comprehend.

It's the mood of the film and the striking visuals, the uncertainty and the looming sense of foreboding, accompanied by eerily beautiful music, that makes Valley of Shadows thoroughly intriguing.

Valley of Shadows is thought provoking with a chilling, fairy-tale like aesthetic that is truly beautiful, while being, at it's core, a movie about a struggling family with their own traumas and secrets.

The ending of this movie is profound. I think that it goes to the movie which it looks at the viewpoint and thought of the young child. The quality of the sound film was very good, and I was immersed and did not know how long it was going. I am very satisfied.

The cinemaphotography is great, the atmosphere is great but gawd this movie is boring. We exited it with 13:21 remaining. We were holding tight for something redeemable but nope. This movie sucked and I really wanted to like it as the description and trailer was intriguing. This was such a slow burn the kindling even went out. I feel jaded being suckered into the movie alluding to a beast that never was. Screw this film.

The highest reviews seem to come from those knowledgeable in Class, Gothic Norwegian Horror. Coming from a more American horror officialdom, this held my attention to the very end. At which point I decided I'm not a fan of classic, gothic Norwegian blah blah. It's slow, which can be great, but it turns out not to be here. Has a good ending, at least from a child's perspective. Captures the lonely, cold feeling of the unexploited Northern European forests and community. Cinematoagraphy , sound music and acting all done well. The "boy" seems to be overly directed. We never see him break out of his cautious, quiet pace ...Ever! Not very 11 year-old-like. But maybe that's gothic for you.

This film blew my away. People don't understand metaphysical cinema. It's a transcendental masterpiece.

A quiet, introspective feast for the eyes. The fact that was shot on actual film had a lot to do with this ambiance.

The only way to appreciate the beauty of this film is to see through the eyes of the child. It is a trancending experience. Love it!

"Skyggenes dal" is a beautiful film with a gothic and oppressive atmosphere accompanied by a superb cinematography, the performances are wonderful and the script is profound if you can appreciate it.

It was Spotify, oddly enough, that suggested this film to me. This is because eighty percent of the music I listen to is instrumental film scores, and Zbigniew Preisner, who composed the music for this film, is one of my favorite composers.

The funny thing is that last year in Istanbul, at Aksanat, I saw a video art exhibition that included two short films by this film's director, Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen. I didn't even bother to research the director's name, thinking he only directed short films.

Norway, and indeed all of Northern Europe, has always intrigued me. As if their isolation from the world wasn't enough, the climatic conditions force them to live in individual isolation, and the result of this, spanning thousands of years, is their imagination... their storytelling ability.

Because "Skyggenes dal" is so far removed from the narrative language that Western audiences are accustomed to, it has generally received poor reviews and low ratings from Western viewers, but it is one of the most successful works of the Scandinavian Gothic fable genre in recent times. Especially the music (not forgetting Lisa Gerrard), and of course, the young actor Adam Ekeli, who carries such a slow-moving film on his back at the age of six or so...

I am experiencing the joy of having discovered a bedside film after a long time...