Holly Aird sparkles in this intriguing but ultimately unsatisfying 1940's set Kenya drama, as a plucky teen with an awful home life. She's regularly beaten by her horrible tutor, insulted by her bigoted stepfather and neglected by her socialite stepmother. She seems to have made one friend in an elderly gentleman, but when he gets accused of murder... well, let's just say things escalate from there.
There are a lot of interesting scenes in The Happy Valley, which not only show off the gorgeous African landscape but also the prejudiced and downright offensive attitude the white British population took towards the natives back then. It's telling that the only one who treats them with any respect is Juanita (played by Holly Aird) herself a bit of an outcast. Things would change slowly over the years, but back then must've been a pretty bad place to live if you were black... or thought of them as 'people', come to think of it.
What the good moments fail to do though, is coalesce into a worthwhile whole. For all of Holly Aird's promising acting chops and a decent turn from the always reliable Denholm Elliott, the film lacks a sense of direction... with some parts going on for too long and others fading out just as they're getting interesting. And yes, I DO realise this was 'based on a true story' so they couldn't change that much, to which I would reply... maybe they could've turned it into a half-hour episode of something instead? Or simply, not bothered to make it in the first place...?
No, that's unfair... it's not nearly as bad as that. But as the sudden conclusion arrived and the ending credits rolled without emotion from me, all I could think of was: is this one of those films that could've been better if they'd been a bit more daring with their adaptation?
Yes. I easily think it could've been. 5/10.