DOWN IN THE VALLEY (2006)

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"I'm not crazy. I'm the only sane man on the street!"

Director David Jacobson (who also wrote this film) brings us a drama about troubled young people in the LA Valley. With fantastic acting and great chemistry between all actors involved, this is a film that will leave you heartbroken.

Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen) stars in this film as Tobe, short for October, a 17 year old teen who lives in a lonely home. She has a younger brother, Lon, played brilliantly by Rory Culkin (Mean Creek). The two siblings live with their father, Wade, played by David Morse (Disturbia). There is no mother around, and it is never mentioned what happened there. Wade (Morse) works full time, leaving both kids home alone all day. The siblings are close and get along, with Tobe (Wood) playing both sister and mother to Lon (Culkin). Father Wade is not close to his son, and is slowly losing control of Tobe, as she has a bit of a stubborn streak in her and does as she pleases.

During Spring Break, Tobe goes out for a day at the beach with friends. Along the way they stop for gas, and this is where wanna be cowboy Harlan (Edward Norton) is introduced. Polite, intruiged, and interested in Tobe from the start, he quits his job on the spot in order to go with Tobe and her friends to the beach (he has never seen the ocean). And so the whirlwind romance begins, and Harlan, (Norton) although quirky, appears to be the perfect gentleman. He and Tobe quickly become completely physically and emotionally invested in each other. Sounds perfect.....but Harlan may not be the quiet cowboy he portrays himself to be.

Wade is suspicious of Harlan from the get go, and this causes a major rift between father and daughter, as Tobe refuses to stop seeing Harlan. Harlan also befriends Lon, who is lonely and quickly sees him as a big brother. Why wouldn't he? Harlan pays more attention to Lon than Wade does. At first glance, Harlan is a lifeboat for both Tobe and Lon.

Things take a sharp u-turn, as Wade puts the pressure on Tobe to stop seeing Harlan. We see everyone's lives completely unravel, in particular Harlan, when Tobe tells him she cannot see him anymore.

As I stated earlier, all actors do a fantastic job delving into the emotional turmoil that each character must play. Norton and Wood are great together, and you believe they care about each other. Culkin is wonderful, as always, as well as Morse.

The directing, storyline and visuals are all top notch. Nothing fantastic visually (no special effects), but the scenery in some scenes is pretty, and with the camera angles, the film flows flawlessly.

If you have yet to see this film, and are in the mood for a drama, check it out. You won't be disappointed.