Summer's over, bring on the serious films--

9/12/07

In the Valley of Elah
Written and directed by Paul Haggis

TVOR didn't much care for this film. It was written and directed by Paul Haggis, the same man who made Crash, which won Oscars for best picture and screenplay in 2006. TVOR didn't much care for Crash, either, so maybe she's got some sort of Paul Haggis-related taste issues. In the Valley of Elah, like Crash, has a world view that the viewer may or may not share, and it is difficult to get fully into the world of the film without sharing that world view. There are questions about that world view that would be interesting to pursue--but unfortunately the film doesn't do that. It takes that view as a given and goes on from there.

In the Valley of Elah is about a father (played by Tommy Lee Jones) trying to discover the truth about his soldier son's disappearance shortly after returning home from service in Iraq. Charlize Theron plays a detective from a town near the son's base who tries to help. There is nothing wrong with the performances--Jones does excellent work as the father, and Theron is fine (although all attempts to make her look plain are doomed to fail). Susan Sarandon doesn't have much to do as the young soldier's mother.

TVOR won't say much more, in case you want to see it, as it is better to let the story unfold without a lot of foreknowledge. And if you liked Crash, maybe you'll like this one. TVOR has her doubts, however.


Video note:

Away from Her, the debut feature from the young Canadian actress Sarah Polley, is out on video this week. Ms. Polley wrote her own script, using a Alice Munro story, and the result is one of the best films TVOR saw this year. It stars Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent as a couple, married for decades, whose lives are ripped apart when she starts showing signs of Alzheimer's. It's not depressing or weepy (which, given the subject matter, could easily have been the case), but instead it's a wonderful story about love, and definitely one to see.