"The Valley of Elah"

A few lessons before Christmas we watched a film called “The Valley of Elah” which tackles a bunch of social issue as well as the other films we have previously watched. It is directed by Paul Haggis and the cast consists of famous actors such as Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon. The plot spins around the story of a father who gets the terrible message that his son is missing after just having returned from the war in Iraq. He cannot resist from interfering the investigation when he discovers the sloppy work the police investigators do. With his help and interpretations of the evidences, they conclude that he was killed innocently by a friend of his who is also a soldier. His body was found burnt and slaughtered to pieces. His death was a result of a post-traumatic co-soldier’s anger.

The film also tackles discrimination at work. The police woman, who investigates the case with the dead soldier, is being harassed by her male colleagues. She has a profession which is dominated by men. Still she is tough and tells them off when they do not act professionally. The film is about family relations as well. The importance of family and strong bonds between divorcees are emphasized.

I definitely enjoyed this film a lot! In addition to being entertaining it is frightening to face that what is being tackled in “The Valley of Elah” are realities of today. I think it was good to see a film which challenges our conception of how honest the work of the police is. Additionally we get to see how it is like for parents to lose their son and how your work life can suddenly take a step into your private life. I definitely recommend “The Valley of Elah.”