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Happy Valley / opens Jan 16
January 16, 2015 – January 26, 2015
Jan 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25
Scroll down for times and locations
Nestled in the idyllic area known as Happy Valley lies the town of State College and the home of Penn State University. For over 40 years, Joe Paterno was the celebrated head coach of the school’s storied football team. Lauded not only for his program’s success on the field, but also for students’ achievements in the classroom, Paterno was a revered figure in a town where team loyalty approached nationalistic fervor. Then in November 2011 everything changed. Directed by Amir Bar-Lev, whose other documentaries include The Tillman Story and My Kid Could Paint That. (98 min)
Happy Valley will divide audiences and create heated discussions. However, there’s one point that won’t be CONTROVERSIAL: It’s one of the best documentaries of the year. ♦ The Playlist
The people on screen in “Happy Valley,” Amir Bar-Lev’s POWERFUL new documentary, frequently describe Penn State football as a religion. This is almost not a metaphor. Mr. Bar-Lev’s interview subjects sometimes describe Paterno as a god or a saint. ♦ A.O. Scott, The New York Times
MESMERIZING. Happy Valley is a devastating portrait of a community—and, by extension, a nation—put under a spell, even reduced to grateful infantilism, by the game of football. ♦ The New Yorker
WATCH THE TRAILER