Amir Bar-Lev's documentaries My Kid Could Paint That and The Tillman Story brilliantly illuminated the real stories behind the media's pumped-up coverage of their subject matters—and he does much the same in Happy Valley, his documentary about the fallout that befell Penn State University and the school's beloved football coach Joe Paterno in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal of 2011.
Unlike the first two films, which featured clearly defined villains, Bar-Lev sidesteps the monstrous Sandusky, who was second in command to Paterno and whose criminal behavior went unchecked for years. ( He was convicted of 45 counts of child abuse in 2012. ) Instead, the film attempts to examine more complex questions in a clear-eyed manner: whether the rampant football fever in the ironically named town in Pennsylvania seemingly swept aside anything that even remotely threatened said obsession and was a factor in the case.
There's also the question if Paterno—who reportedly detested his second in command and who clearly didn't do enough when he was informed about Sandusky's criminal behavior—was too severely punished after his inaction was brought to light. After an illustrious career spanning nearly 40 years in which he was so revered he was referred to as "Saint Joe," did Paterno's punishment fit the crime? Was the NCAA too harsh in its reprisals against Penn State, and make it a scapegoat in what one on-camera subject dubs a "shaming spectacle?"
To explore those questions and several others, Bar-Lev interviews students, faculty members, townspeople and surviving members of Paterno's family—his two sons and his widow who decry ( naturally ) the abuse but who also ( naturally, as well ) express grief and bitterness at Paterno's name being dragged in the mud and for being promptly cut out of history—a history of winning seasons and titles that he oversaw.
The anger, guilt and dismay on the part of the fans is palpable in a sequence in front of a statue of the coach in which several spectators are determined to get their photos with Paterno's sculpture in spite of the presence of a silent protester holding a handwritten sign tagging the once-esteemed man as a liar and pedophile enabler. The confrontations between this anonymous man and a stream of Penn Staters who hurl abuse and epithets at him gets right at the heart of the thorny, moral issues of the case. ( The sculpture was subsequently removed and the defensive fans remain. )
The only victim identified in the film is Matt Sandusky, who was adopted out of a harsh poverty that he vividly recalls. Association with Jerry Sandusky was akin to winning a "golden ticket," Matt says; although he was abused early on, the film shows his loyalty to not only his adopted family ( who have since disowned him ), and his realization that blowing the whistle would permanently alter the landscape of the town kept him silent. Still reeling from the fallout of the case and Paterno's firing, the NCAA's heavy financial fine and game sanctions ( stripping away years of victories and a ban from participating in bowl games for four years ) for Penn State has, indeed, altered life in Happy Valley.
Whether viewers will find that the punishments fit the crimes or that Paterno and Penn State were unjustly targeted because of their close proximity to the guilty party, Bar-Lev's underlying suggestion certainly resonates: that in a place where a game is elevated to the level of religion, with basic morals thrown under the bus in the process—as seems to have been the case at Penn State—something is clearly out of whack.
Happy Valley is having its Chicago premiere run beginning Friday, Nov. 28, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. www.siskelfilmcenter.org/happy_valley .
Film notes:
—Out director-co-writer Ira Sach's Love Is Strange, the story of the travails that beset an elderly gay couple ( the marvelous John Lithgow and Alfred Molina ) after they legally marry in Manhattan, is not only one of the best "gay movies" of the year—it's one of the best, period. This tender, beautifully observed romantic drama that tackles a lot of other issues along the way is back in Chicago with a feature run at the Gene Siskel Film Center beginning Friday, Nov. 28. www.siskelfilmcenter.org/love_is_strange .
—The hills are alive again: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, those multiple Von Trapp kiddies dressed in clothes made from curtains and a bevy of singing nuns are making their annual return to the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., when Sound of Music Sing-a-Long returns for multiple screening events beginning Friday, Nov. 28, and continuing through Sunday, Dec. 7 ( at various times ). The screenings feature onscreen lyrics, fun packs and a costume contest, so get out your wimples, girls. www.musicboxtheatre.com/collections/sound-of-music-sing-a-long-2014 .
—Save the date: The holiday season kicks off with back-to-back matinee screenings of Scrooge & Marley ( which I co-wrote and directed, and which Windy City Times Publisher Tracy Baim executive-produced ) at the Music Box on Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7 at noon. Each screening will feature a festive pre-show carol sing-a-long. www.musicboxtheatre.com/events/scrooge-and-marley-entry_date-formaty-m-j-d-entry_date-formathia .
—Before Moonstruck, before Mask, even before playing a lesbian in Silkwood, Cher made her acting mark in Robert Altman's 1982 film Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. Based on the critically acclaimed stage play ( also directed by Altman ) by Ed Graczyk and featuring an amazing cast of actors—Sandy Dennis, Kathy Bates, Karen Black, Marta Heflin, Sudie Bond and the openly gay Mark Patton ( who went on to star in the quasi-gay-themed Nightmare on Elm Street 2 )—the movie has finally been released for home viewing ( on a terrific looking Blu-ray from Olive Films ).
The material focuses on a reunion of former James Dean fan club members who gather in the sun-baked, dusty Texas drug store that once hosted their meetings. Naturally, long-gestating secrets are finally revealed, old wounds reopened and hidden desires made plain. One of those secrets involves the sexual transition of one of the characters. Although it's rather talky, Altman nevertheless finds ingenious ways to keep things moving and the performances are emotionally compelling. www.olivefilms.com/films/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-blu-ray/ .
—Two queer-themed movies available on DVD and online streaming worth noting: Del Shores' film version of his critically acclaim play Southern Baptist Sissies ( which played at Reeling in 2013 ) and T.S. Slaughter's raunchy, ribald comedy The Gays.
Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitymediagroup.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter website.
