The Valley (2017)
5/10
Informative docudrama, poor story telling
16 February 2024
Nearly 20% of high school students report serious thoughts of suicide and 9% actually attempt. (Ref: National Alliance on Mental Illness) Suicide is a second leading cause of deaths in 15-19 years old.. As the research says that the brain's control center aka prefrontal cortex does not develop fully until mid-20s. That causes young people to be more impulsive. There are many factors that drive these young people to have suicidal thoughts such as peer pressure, sibling rivalry, parents pressure to ace in all and 'nothing less than Ivy league' expectations from them, parents' marital issues, environment at school/college or at home and the influence of social media!! Often the warning flags are ignored. And also, we as a society fail to provide an outlet where young people can talk or discuss freely about their fears, depression, anxiety, and other issues without being judged.

This movie raises such questions. A sophomore commits suicide and a grieving father looks for answers. "Why?" "Who is responsible?" A thought provoking story. Convincing performances by Suchita Pillai and Alyy Khan. Although run-of-the-mill performances by others, lack of depth in story telling and the editing that is rough around the edges make the movie a middling one, it is an informative docudrama.
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