Heart Valley is a BBC short documentary following a day in the life of a shepherd, Wilf Davies, in the parish of Cellan, Wales. It is a 19 minute masterpiece in showing that just because we work most of our life, our days should not be frittered away. Do what you love, as much as you can; take notice of what you do and how you feel, rather than always living in anticipation of what is next.
The film is slow and often quiet, taking us through the day in a number of photographic still-shots of the farm and Wilf’s tasks. Most of his day is checking the sheep, for whom he has a beautiful tenderness – they are “part of the family” and each have different characters. He works every day, mostly because “it makes [him] happy”.
Wilf’s commentary flows from simple descriptions of his daily work on the farm, to humbling truths – which though plainly stated seem to border on the profound – about people and the changing world. Though he lives this very particular life, spending much of his time alone and working 7 days a week, he hasn’t removed himself from the outside world. He likes seeing the different people of the world in the supermarket, and wonders at the making of the Great Wall of China. He mourns the sense of farming community – now mostly lost – with each of them trying to make their livings independently.
This is part of the rapid change occurring in rural Wales. New people are coming into the area and “rich city people” are buying up the farms; the local shop and pub have disappeared, and land is being given over to forestry. He himself “can’t see it sustaining”; what happens to his farm in the future is not completely clear.
The film builds to the ending as he takes his sunset walk around his farm. It shows the Welsh landscape in all its glory, and there is a sense of celebration – a day well lived. It is beautiful, moving and hopeful; this film makes you want to live a kinder and more thoughtful life.
This documentary can be viewed on BBC iPlayer for the next 6 months.
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