One Way to Valhalla (2009)

Bo Durant, a volatile, working-class gearhead, sees himself trapped in a world with few possibilities but when he falls off his stepdaughter's bike, suffers a concussion, stops eating, and ... See full summary »

Director:

Karen Goodman

Writer:

Karen Goodman

Stars:

Gabriel Macht, Tony Rocha, Chaney Kley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gabriel Macht	...	Bo Durant
Tony Rocha	...	Pete
Chaney Kley	...	Danny / White Snake
Kim Dickens	...	Jenny
Peter Edward Mussad	...	Technician (as Peter Mussad)
Dayna Keyes	...	Melissa
Nick Scoggin	...	Laurence
Nick Tagas	...	Marty
Alison Pill	...	Dale
Steve Talley	...	John
Robert Anthony Peters	...	Trevor
Kate Walsh	...	Raina
Brad William Henke	...	Glenn
Eric Schniewind	...	Terry
Velina Brown	...	Reception Nurse

Storyline

Bo Durant, a volatile, working-class gearhead, sees himself trapped in a world with few possibilities but when he falls off his stepdaughter's bike, suffers a concussion, stops eating, and smashes up the backyard with a sledgehammer, he begins to feel free for the first time in his life.

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Plot Keywords:

number in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Valhalla Productions LLC, Outpost Studios

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

User Reviews

OK. Not perfect, but....

I'm conflicted.

I don't want to dis the plot summary - written by the writer/director - but it doesn't really give a taste of the film.

Bo is a bit of insufferable gear-head and his wife is seriously fed up with him.

He has a bicycle accident, caused - well - no spoilers, but its largely to do with him being an insufferable gear-head.

And then? And then everything changes. Or, rather, Bo does.

And his wife can't bear it. And continues not to. This is more than concussion, this is transcendent brain damage. I liked Bo after his accident. Respected him.

Not a perfect film, but a film about growth, and hope, and change. Albeit after a knock on the head, but, hey. You gotta start somewhere.

I'm left with warm feelings, escapist feelings, a sense of freedom, of hope.

Hey, that's not bad, is it? I had to suspend clinical disbelief, (I'm a psychotherapist), but I still came away optimistic, touched, moved. Which, quite frankly, isn't bad for a film which is real, gritty, and grounded well on the serious side of any sweet, fairytale line.

Karen Goodman writes well, and directs better. I really hope she goes (much) further.

PS check my other reviews. NO connections to the film at all.