Henry O'Brien
A child coming home to their parent, seeming like they’re in trouble, is a common experience for many. Maybe a teenage daughter crashed the car and has to tell her mom. Maybe she had a bad time at a party and a man came onto her. Or maybe, she’s screwed up a drug deal and now has a criminals looking to kill her. Whatever it may be, the parents can be there as a safety blanket and help you no matter what because, quite simply, they will be there to help you and protect you.
That’s the drama that lies at the heart of the new Apple TV+ thriller Echo Valley, starring Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore. The young Claire (Sweeney), who consistently asks her mother Kate (Moore) for more money, comes home late one night with blood on her that’s someone else’s. Claire may have been involved with a murder.
The film examines this mother-daughter relationship in the simplest of terms, poking at how far a parent’s unconditional love can go. Written by Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby and directed by Michael Pearce (Beast, Encounter), Echo Valley never lets the relationship between Kate and Claire grow into something distinct. The familiar teenage-adult scenarios are turned into thriller fodder, but the relationship itself is painted with too broad a brush.
We see Kate’s solitary life at her horse ranch, where Pearce shoots her same quotidian activities of waking up and slowly placing her feet on the ground and checking if Claire is in her bed.
Loneliness becomes readily apparent in Echo Valley. Kate divorced Claire’s father (a cameo from the wonderful Kyle MacLachlan) before her new wife died and now really only has her friend Jessie (Fiona Shaw). Pearce creates an obvious mood of despair, where the whole is shot in darkness to signify Kate’s despair and her connection to Claire. Much of Kate’s emotions are reflected through this absence of light, but the film restricts her emotions and her devotion to Claire and never looks for the reasons why she cares as much. Echo Valley does little to highlight the desperation Kate feels, especially when Claire runs off with her abusive boyfriend.
Sweeney, from her work in Euphoria and horror films like Immaculate, plays well as a drug-addicted screw-up, and she is convincing enough for her character to confidently lie to her mother with ease. But as Kate starts to figure out how much her daughter uses her love, the streaming movie shifts into being a cover-up.
After Claire’s escape, Kate faces off with drug dealer Jackie (Domhnall Gleeson) in a tense, days-long standoff where the two try to frame the other for the death Claire possibly was a part of. Gleeson, who has been in more television than movies this decade, perfectly plays this slimy scumbag with enough crappy charm and intimidation factor to be entertaining.
The scenes between Moore and Gleeson are enjoyable, along with the ones where Shaw’s character helps out in a cover up. But the familial relationship suffers during this stretch, especially since a movie star like Sweeney is totally absent until one of the film’s final frames. Echo Valley becomes far more conspiratorial and rehashed. The question about how Moore’s character is going to pull this one off is a boring one, to put it nicely.
In terms of streaming movies, this latest outing from Apple TV+ isn’t the most egregious example of hackery (the streamer did the truly awful action romcom Ghosted in 2023 after all). But Pearce’s film depicts a thin relationship that barely indicates anything truly deep between Claire and Kate. If Kate is going to such great lengths to save her screw-up of a daughter, there was truly little sign of that.
What makes Echo Valley a true bummer is the number of grade-A stars and performers whose talents are wasted. With Sweeney being one of the most popular performers in the world and Moore having one of the most celebrated careers of the 21st century, it’s truly disappointing to find them in such a forgettable experience. The film will sadly have no resonance, or echo, to it and will not be totally out of mind by next week.
Nearly 2 hours of pure Bordem…
“Echo Valley” had me annoyed, not intrigued. I stayed up till 1 a.m., head pounding, expecting payoff. But the slow burn never lit. The film drifts aimlessly: drama gives way to thriller gives way to crime drama—but execution never sinks in. I felt tricked by the buildup. Instead of tension and emotional payoff, we get hollow twists and a finale that lands with a thud. Epic failure. Total waste of time.