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Friday, April 19, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD THE VALLEY
EDITOR'S PICK
'The Valley': An engaging redemption tale (IANS Review;
Rating: **1/2)
Debutant director Saila Kariat's "The Valley" is a tautly scripted redemption
tale set in Silicon Valley.
The IT industry is said to enhance the way of life for humans. And those working
in this sector live a very competitive life, struggling hard to beat the
competition, sacrificing their personal life to a great extent.
This is what Neal Kumar (Alyy Khan), the CEO of the IT Company called Virtually
You which is on the verge of launching its latest technology Augur, meant to
enhance human connectivity, realises after the death of his younger daughter
Maya.
Maya's death was not a natural one, but a suicide. What lead her to take the
drastic step niggles Neal. He hits his nadir. Despite knowing that he will not
get his daughter back, he torments himself by tracing her last few days, only to
realise that his idyllic family was not what he and others around him had
envisaged.
Narrated in a non-linear manner, the graph of the telling is effortlessly smooth
and flat.
While the plot revolves around Maya's death, the director avoids lingering on
the details of the event per se, but instead navigates it astutely to the
redemption angle. The narrative creates a warm hold on our feelings because it
engrosses you.
The fable about the pearl diver and his family -- "The poor couple think that
the perfect pearl will solve their problem, but it doesn't, so they throw the
pearl in the ocean" -- snuggly fits into the narrative. It effortlessly delivers
a subtle message.
While the screenplay is precise with its setups, payoffs and character arcs, the
scenes are theatrical with a depressive atmosphere constructed by the setting
and the dialogues.
A lot of the dialogues are spoken in natural tone but the lines, are dramatic:
"In a strange way I feel relieved", "And I feel sick" or "Why can't you tell me
the details", "Sorry I'll try harder" or "I'm just a housekeeper, Nealji."
The direction is astute and the cast is natural. They all perform earnestly.
Alyy Khan as the weary and unwavering Neal Kumar, Suchitra Pillay as his jaded
wife Roopa, Samina Peerzada as the housekeeper who is fondly called "Didi",
Salma Khan as Neal's older daughter Monica, Emielyn Das as the younger Maya,
Agneeta Thacker as the older Maya.
Jake T. Austin as Maya's boyfriend Chris, and the characters that play Alicia
and Laura - Maya's roommate and friend, all have their moments of onscreen
glory.
Each actor also benefits from the fine work of cinematographer Paul Nordin.
Though his lens doesn't focus on anything in particular, it captures them as
well as the locales with flourish. And a few shots with smooth camera movements
display his mastery over his skill.
The visuals accompanied by Jacob Yoffee's melancholic background score elevates
the viewing experience.
Overall, with a run-time of 98 minutes, "The Valley" is a well-made, engaging
film despite a disappointing end.
Indian-American Saila Kariat, who has made her directing debut with "The Valley", says the US -- where a debate on immigrants has been raging -- is going "backwards" under the leadership of President Donald Trump."Starting as a child, I immigrated from US-India-Canada-US, so I have seen the evolution of attitudes towards immigrants.Read More
'The Valley' which is about an immigrant entrepreneur living in silicon valley who, devastated by his daughter's suicide, seeks answers to what caused it. In the course of his journey he learns many things about himself and his own choices.
