The Valley Below is Kyle Thomas's directorial debut of a feature-length film and I have to say I'm impressed, especially with the writing. Coming from BC, I always wondered why Albertans are the way they are, and while this movie doesn't exactly answer that, it does give a glimpse of the Albertan condition in various forms: teenage love, alcoholism, family ties, marriage, responsibility, solitude, community and helplessness. Whether a pregnant woman, a drunk man, an optimistic and caring police officer, a successful artist, or whatever, nobody can seem to escape the inward pull of Alberta, the refusal to let go of the last economic haven in Canada.
I admit I only discovered this film on an Air Canada flight, and it was somewhat surreal that the film ended just as we were coming over Alberta. I looked out the window and wondered what kind of enchanting, mystical things were going on down there right at that moment. A first kiss on a deserted mountain range? A drunken brawl in a shady bar? Perhaps one day I will escape to Alberta, and find myself yearning for the condition that shields me from the horrors of the outside world. I hope this filmmaker continues to explore Alberta in its authethenticity.
