Happy Valley (2014)
27KHappy Valley: Directed by Amir Bar-Lev. With Joe Paterno, Jay Paterno, Andrew Shubin, Jerry Sandusky. A documentary that observes the year after Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky’s arrest on child sex abuse charges.
“A well done documentary about how people react when the people and things they believe in turn out to be an illusion. Being from the u0026#39;liberal west coastu0026#39;, Iu0026#39;ve never understood how football could possibly reach the level of reverence it enjoys elsewhere. But here it is in all its glory… supported by hoards who seem more concerned with sportsball than anything else in their lives — including justice for abused kids. Well okay, maybe they care for the kids as long as the football games donu0026#39;t stop and no one attacks their coach. For without football, we are nothing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn all fairness, the documentary did include representatives from the non-reverent point of view. But itu0026#39;s witnessing the reactions of people who have so much invested in a sport that has achieved cult status, as well as the mechanics of group think, that make this an interesting doc. A good study in the sort of self-righteous mentality that starts wars. But who am I judge? Iu0026#39;m a west coast liberal. Iu0026#39;d rather do almost anything else than watch football.”
