188 BYU Studies 48, no. 3 (29)
FILM REVIEW
Ron Williams, director. Happy Valley.
Orem, Utah: Forever Green Pictures, 2007
Reviewed by James Willmore and Jenny Willmore
Producer and director Ron Williams began his film as an attempt to
follow his ex-wife, Nancy, as she entered drug rehab. While filming,
Nancy’s daughter, MaCall Peterson, was involved in the accidental over-
dose and death of her friend Amelia Sorich and the subsequent attempt to
hide the body. From this development, the filmmaker realized the scope
of the movie had changed considerably. He began to wonder if there was a
relationship between Utah County residents’ reputation for overly blissful
happiness and the struggles that addicts in Utah face. Thus was born the
documentary Happy Valley, a title meant as a play on the nickname for
Utah Valley. Although much of the movie does not take place in Utah Val-
ley, the title and publicity poster conjure up caricatures of the stereo typical
Utah County resident—determinedly and obliviously happy.
This is not a drug addiction story like those we see in VH1’s Behind
the Music, where overindulged rock stars are torn apart by excessive par-
tying. The strength of Happy Valley is in hearing a beautifu l young girl
with a Utah accent say, “All I remember is teaching her how to shoot up.”
These stories are compelling because the people in them are so familiar.
We see those who are suffering from the consequences of drug abuse as
brothers and sisters and not as statistics with accompanying mug shots or
obituary photos.
Of the two of us reviewing the film, this reality came as no surprise to
James, who has worked as a pharmacist for twelve years. He has seen many
respectable men and women humbled by addiction to legal and illegal
drugs. He and others in the medical field recognize the common faces of
drug addiction: the friend next door, a member of the ward, a grandfather
with silver hair and a winning smile, the popular athlete in high school.
