Amir Bar-Lev's Happy Valley is an in-depth look at the Jerry Sandusky Sex Scandal that rocked Penn State, being pensive and fair in its assessment of a complicated situation. The film introduces the town of State College, where Penn State University sits, diving into the culture of the school and town where football is basically a religion, and Joe Paterno, Penn State's long-time iconic head coach, is essentially god. Chronicling the firestorm of allegation, sensationalism by the media, and the tragic nature of the sexual abuse that ran rampant under Penn State's leadership, Happy Valley provides a thought-provoking look at the current state of America. While some critics have found Amir Bar-Lev's film apologetic about Joe Paterno's plight, I would wholeheartedly disagree, as Happy Valley's greatest attribute is its ability to maintain neutrality, examining both sides of the issue. Happy Valley isn't so much an indictment of a town or a school, but an indictment of America in general, where media sensationalism and public opinion creates a shaming spectacle almost as a way to process and move on as a culture. It is what we do as a way to feel better about ourselves instead of actually inflicting change, rushing to judgment as a way of feeling better about our own lives. Happy Valley shows how the media pressure inflicts change before enough time has passed to actually give a fair and intricate look into what happened. There is no question that Joe Paterno could and should have done more to push Sandusky's heinous act through to the administration, something he would certainly admit himself, but what is kinda amazing is how the media and public opinion don't even attempt to glean any type of learning from Paterno's plight. Recognizing evil isn't clear-cut as people want to make it out to be, and when good people are confronted with evil they subconsciously want to avoid it or simply not recognize it entirely. Paterno passing it off to the school was his way of doing that, and while there is no question he could have done more, it's asinine to label him responsible for the crimes that were committed. In vilifying individuals we simply make them beyond human, why? To create a narrative that makes us feel better about our own skeletons, a terrifying aspect of what our culture has become in the internet age. Amir Bar-Lev's Happy Valley is an impressive accomplishment that speaks not only to a community attempting to deal with guilt, responsibility, and identity, but to the larger aspect of what American culture and media have become.
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June 2023
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