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Happy Valley |
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A Real-Life, True Story
WHAT'S IN YOUR JELLO?
One miracle after another occurs through the passion of one full time single father whose original intention was to reunite his 12-year-old daughter with her addicted mother.
Deep in the heart of Utah, commonly referred to as "Happy Valley," residents enjoy one of the lowest crime rates, highest literacy and language fluency - even the most jello consumption - across the nation. Yet under the glossy exterior of this beautiful community, there are less popular categories that Happy Valley contends in but doesn't advertise, including prescription drug abuse, double the national average of anti-depressant drugs, even suicide. In Happy Valley at least one teen per week dies from drug overdose.
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The real-life true story, Happy Valley, sheds light on the growing problem of prescription drug abuse in Utah County and, as importantly, the associated issues of denial, conformity, social pressure and guilt. The film intimately follows several lives and families that have been dramatically affected by prescription drug abuse leading to street drug abuse and addiction. From these stories and a single father's journey to reunite a family emerge unconditional love, forgiveness, acceptance... even transformation. Examples…
One: Meet Danny. From all appearances, Danny is an extremely successful entrepreneur with a beautiful family, prominent in both his community and church. However, Danny has harbored a secret addiction for more than 15 years. Danny's courage to risk everything for recovery inspires throughout the film.
Two: "Greg" takes us through the high and lows of drug abuse with humility and honesty. Initially, Greg agreed only to be an anonymous participant for the film's research, however, his story becomes so powerful that he chooses the path of recovery. Greg surrenders to his addiction, portraying endless personal transformation and growth.
Three: A harrowing story of heartbreaking addiction, broken families, and even death is told from inside prison walls, both literal and emotional. A mother and daughter's story ends with consequences but also the discovery of the exhilarating freedom that comes through forgiveness. The miracle in all of this is, how the movie ends. Unbelievable.
These miracles and more become the heart of Happy Valley with additional interviews from the State Medical Examiner, residents, local undercover cops, doctors and recovering addicts. The film also touches on the reality that we are the sickest generation of Americans ever and the disturbing blur between pharmaceutical and street drugs.
Happy Valley will open your eyes to a culture where denial and guilt are instinctive, and it will open your heart to the people who are brave enough to face it and step through it.
"I did not find this story, it found me. It was long overdue. The whole project is a miracle. The intent is to create in all of us the conversations we are avoiding. There are many forms of addiction, hence… ‘What’s in your Jello?’ “-- Ron Williams, Director, Producer & Creator
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Average rating:  (4.7) |
| Member Comments |
 Touching and Truthful, 9/4/2008 | | | Reviewer: Ella (, ) | | Sometime we close our eyes to what we don't want to know. This film remind you that overdoses are real and effect real people. Ron Williams tells a family and towns story with dignity and honesty. |
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| Enlightening, 8/29/2008 | | | Reviewer: Jenn G. (Harrison, NY, United States) | | Drug addiction transcends socioeconomic classes. It is a very real problem that exists in this country and impacts people from all walks of life. This film truly brings to light the impact of addiction. There is hope as addicts move past denial. It was really an eye-opening experience. |
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| Now educated!, 8/29/2008 | | | Reviewer: abbi4428 (, ) | | When I first turned this movie on I was wondering if the interviewing would end. BUT I kept watching and I was capitated! This documentary gave talking about drug abuse a new name. It allows you to live a families experience and see through the minds of addicts what drugs can do. This movie left me with my mouth open and an entirely new education. |
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Ron Williams, Co-Director/Producer
Ron Williams, born and raised in Southern California, learned his greatest lessons in life playing and competing in sports. These lessons continue to contribute to his passion for life, music, and especially humanity. Today, Williams is a successful author, lecturer and advocate for personal development and general health. He is committed to a philosophy of using his time, talent and resources to making a difference in the world, one person at a time. Williams has successfully led multi-million dollar corporations with his unique talent for creatively bringing intangible concepts to life. Nearly all of these results were created while Ron kept his priority of being a single full-time parent to his daughter Maron. He is currently CEO and Chairman of RonWilliams.org, which includes such ventures as U of YOU, FLOWgreen, BrightGreen Records, ForeverGreen Pictures and ForeverGreen International, which are all a driving force in supporting his non-profit foundation Happy Children.
As a singer, composer and producer of music, Williams is also an award-winning filmmaker. He has touched hundreds of thousands of people in more than 20 different countries around the world. His new wife Kandi and daughter Maron are his love and inspirational teachers. Williams was recently contracted by his home state to be a “good will ambassador,” bringing a message of health and happiness to its communities. Whether he is filming, speaking, singing or laughing, Williams has mastered his ability to creatively project life-changing information through his heart.
Dan Barnett, Co-Director/Producer
Dan Barnett was born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah. At a very young age he fell in love with storytelling and captivating an audience with his homespun stories. In high school Dan took an AV class and found a vehicle that made tangible the visual images he saw in his mind. He realized that he wanted to tell visual stories for the rest of his life. He then went to film school and learned how to make short narrative films. Of these many were comedies and they were received with a great deal of laughter and applause. Happy Valley was Dan’s first experience in the documentary world. There he witnessed the power of an individual’s story to transform the world around them. Dan immediately fell in love with storytelling for the purpose of having a profound impact in the audience’s lives. He has chosen to continue with that purpose in all future projects.
Craig Smith, Producer
Craig was raised in Colorado but now calls Utah home. He has always had an affinity for movies, especially those with life-changing stories. Craig has his Bachelors and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Brigham Young University. He has helped produce many corporate videos, and loves the process of taking a concept to final product. Happy Valley is Craig’s first effort at producing a documentary. His passion for finding the stories and managing the daily details can be felt within the film. Craig is married and has three children. He looks forward to many more projects.
Ben Unguren, Senior Editor
Ben Unguren has worked on a number of documentary film projects as director, editor, and cameraman. He also works professionally in special effects, compositing, and animation. He has a Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and a Master's degree from New York University. Currently, he is a member of the Media Arts faculty at BYU, teaching courses in documentary film history and production. He has been closely involved with an ongoing documentary film project that focuses on members of the Mormon Church in their everyday lives. Ben lives in Provo with his wife and four children.
Yoni and Amy Gileadi, Music and Soundtrack
Yoni and Amy met by playing shows together in the late 90s. Amy had been the singer for the band Sunfall Festival for eight years and Yoni was in a band called Sofina for four years. Yoni and Amy started writing music together in the summer of 2000 which was used in projects for Sofina (a duo of Yoni and Finn Bjamson). After Yoni and Amy were married in 2001, they started making music for their own project called LoveDigit. They completed their first album in 2007.
Evan Carpenter, Assistant Editor
Evan Carpenter skipped film school. Instead, he studied cultural anthropology at Brigham Young University and got a part-time job editing. This combination of experience made him particularly sensitive to the interplay between culture and social issues, experience which came to the forefront in Happy Valley. Evan is the recipient of several film research grants and has recently spent ten months living in India while working on two separate video ethnography projects. His directorial debut, "Little Teresa", is a short documentary about a widow living with AIDS in India. It is set to appear in film festivals this summer and fall.
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Film Details
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Running Time:
95 minutes
Director(s):
Ron Williams, Dan Barnett
Producer(s):
RK Williams, Ron Williams, Dan Barnett, Craig Smith
Genres:
Drama
Documentary
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