‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’ – The film gets lost in its own intentions (Review)

Pastor Leung (Anthony Wong) has been grieving for three years following the death of his daughter after she was sexually assaulted. Years later, the young offender is released from prison and winds up in his parish seeking solace. The pastor’s faith faces the ultimate trial – can forgiveness triumph over vengeance.

This ambitious feature by Antonio Tam and Jeffrey Lam Sam, offers a moral drama of significant complexity, the opportunity to answer some valid and challenging questions.

However, the film for all its polished production values and good use of over-the-head shots/birds eye (God is watching) view photography, the conflict never comes out fully in the film as you would wish. In contrast to contemporary dramas – such as Britain’s Adolescence which dealt with the far-reaching effects of masculine toxicity – this drama focusing more on the effect than the cause gets kind of lost in its own intentions sadly.

The twist that explains why the young man did the horrific act gives the audience a reason for his actions; those action of violence which are never the answer to anything. The act itself – thankfully – occurs off screen as silence descends upon the screen with the camera retreating slowly from the proximity of the characters.

This contradiction and misplacing of narrative direction is an unfortunate error in the screenplay which is also lacking in vital dialogue instead hoping that bible phrases will provide the answer. The eventual meeting of the flashback sequences with the modern day repercussions is emblematic of the screenplay problems – if one large flashback was deployed to explain perhaps the jolt of dramatic power may have rescued the film.

Better films have dealt with the same subject matter with more finesse, even Wong a stalwart of Hong Kong cinema can that rise to the occasion and provide a noteworthy performance. His pastor character somewhat blinded by his faith and role as a member of a community, instead of an angry vengeful father in this instance. This balancing of roles in private and public is a high wire act but this film leaves Leung grounded for the majority of film.

Distributed by Showalker UK and Munro Film Services, the film is released in the UK on Friday 14th November, 2025.