Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- unsettling
- tense
- indie film night
- serious drama viewing
What critics said
Critics found the Old West-versus-modern-suburbia premise fresh and initially intriguing, while broadly faulting the increasingly implausible and clumsy second half.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Harlan wears a stetson, speaks in a country manner, and presents his ranch-hand identity against the San Fernando Valley setting.
Sixteen-year-old Tobe becomes romantically involved with Harlan, who is more than twice her age.
Harlan's cowboy persona and belief in a soul-mate destiny drive his plans to escape with Tobe.
The San Fernando Valley functions as the ordinary social world that Harlan's outsider presence unsettles.
Films like Down in the Valley, and why
Lars and the Real Girl
shares an unsettling age-gap relationship, psychological instability, and intimate dramatic tension
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
shares a collision between outsider romantic fantasy and ordinary suburban life
Paris, Texas
shares neo-western motifs, alienation, and an emotionally volatile male outsider
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
shares a troubled adolescent's entanglement with an unstable adult and a tense family dynamic
Movie Details
- Director
- David Jacobson
- Release Date
- 2005-05-13
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (245)
Cast
- Edward Norton
- Evan Rachel Wood
- David Morse
- Rory Culkin
- Bruce Dern
- John Diehl
- Geoffrey Lewis
- Elizabeth Peña
- Kat Dennings
- Hunter Parrish
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Down in the Valley about?
- A lonely would-be cowboy's romance with a teenager turns a San Fernando Valley family conflict into a volatile collision between frontier fantasy and contemporary reality.
- What is Down in the Valley like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Down in the Valley as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Down in the Valley violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Down in the Valley as moderate.
- What did critics think of Down in the Valley?
- Critics found the Old West-versus-modern-suburbia premise fresh and initially intriguing, while broadly faulting the increasingly implausible and clumsy second half.
- Which films are like Down in the Valley?
- Films with a similar feel include Lars and the Real Girl, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, Paris, Texas, and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.
- How long is Down in the Valley?
- Down in the Valley runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch Down in the Valley?
- In United States, Down in the Valley streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
