Echo Valley

I didn't think I was going to like Echo Valley. Early on, it felt like yet another somber character study about a sad, emotionally walled-off woman trudging through grief. I found myself getting impatient with Julianne Moore's character-too quiet, too clenched, too stuck. My gut reaction was, "Okay, we get it. You're broken. Move on already."

But by the time the credits rolled, I realized: that was the point.

What starts as a slow-burn drama about loss and trauma quietly transforms into a nuanced meditation on the seductive comfort of victimhood-and what it costs to escape it. Julianne Moore gives a tightly coiled performance, full of quiet anguish and understated strength. She doesn't play a victim so much as a woman who's learned to survive by keeping her pain close, and her joy at arm's length.

Domhnall Gleeson is chilling in his restraint, embodying what happens when you let victimhood rot into violence and detachment. And Kyle MacLachlan-who I assumed would be a major player when he appeared-gets barely two minutes of screen time. But those two minutes are pivotal. His character, with quiet stoicism and no shortage of reluctance, models what it looks like to move on. He becomes the counterpoint to Moore's emotional limbo-a living example of what it means to leave the valley, metaphorically and literally.

Sydney Sweeney, on the other hand, feels a bit too familiar in her role. While she hits the marks emotionally, the character felt too close to her performances in The White Lotus and other recent roles: another whiny, self-absorbed, emotionally combustible young woman who seems to confuse chaos with depth. At this point, it's less a character than a brand. She's talented, no question, but here, she's recycling.

Then there's Fiona Shaw-maybe the film's secret weapon. As the loyal friend and emotional ballast, she plays the role that holds everything together. She's not a moral compass in the preachy sense-she's just present, constant, human. The final montage (which oddly echoes the vibe of a heist movie epilogue) showcases Shaw's quiet complicity and grace. She doesn't need big speeches-she shows up. Always. And that's what makes her character land so well.

By the end, I didn't just feel satisfied-I felt subtly re-educated. Echo Valley asks its audience to do something rare these days: sit with discomfort, and reconsider their snap judgments. It's not flashy, it's not loud, but it lingers. It's a film about people trapped in their own narratives, and what it takes to quietly write a new one.

I came in annoyed. I left impressed.

Kate (Julianne Moore) is dealing with a personal tragedy while owning and training horses in Echo Valley, an isolated and picturesque place, when her daughter, Claire (Sydney Sweeney), arrives at her doorstep, frightened, trembling and covered in someone else's blood.

Right from the off the film promises to be something good, there's just a vibe about it. As the story grows you think it's going to be all about her wasting her life on her daughter and coming to an untimely end because of her.

But after some skilful twists and turns we realise it was never the film we thought it was going to be. Moore is fabulous as the mother, and Sweeney sure shows her acting chops as the wayward daughter. Domnhall Gleeson is at his menacing best in this taut, surprising thriller.

I very much enjoyed it and give it a solid 7.

I gotta be honest... it was actually way better than I expected.

First of all, the movie is rage baity as hell (but I didn't mind it) Normally that kind of thing annoys me, but here it kinda worked. That's part of what kept me so locked in. It's like, you want to yell at the screen because you're actually into it. It's like a roller coaster of emotions,

Also, the acting was honestly impressive.

The movie is def not perfect. Some scenes dragged a little, and there were a few moments where the characters did things that didn't totally make sense unless you just accept that people sometimes act irrational when they're panicking. Also, the ending left me feeling a little weird. Not bad weird, just like... rage baity :D

Overall, Echo Valley isn't your typical big flashy movie, but it is something that pulls you in and doesn't really let go. It's messy, emotional, a little rage-inducing, and honestly, kind of thrilling in a quiet, twisted way. If you're looking for a wild ride that's not just action but also hits hard emotionally, I'd definitely recommend giving it a shot. It's not a perfect movie, but it's way more interesting than most of the stuff that comes out nowadays.

My Review- Echo Valley Apple TV My Rating. 6/10

Julianne Moore is the only reason I chose to watch this movie as I am seldom disappointed with her choice of movie roles however her fine performance in Echo Valley wasn't enough for me to have any emotional connection at all with this dysfunctional mother daughter saga.

Primarily because to quote Eve Arden's famous line from the classic 1945 mother daughter saga " Mildred Pierce " starring Joan Crawford as Mildred and her selfish self obsessed daughter Veda played by Ann Blyth .

"Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young." That's for sure! Now that was a classic I still adore .

The selfish unpleasant daughter in Echo Valley is Claire Garretson played by Sydney Sweeney a drug addict who returns home to torment her mother Kate Garretson played by Julianne Moore when she needs money for drugs.

However this time she's in real trouble with her dealer and boyfriend that drags her mother into a whirlpool of crime and mayhem.

I usually have compassion for movies or series about addiction that feature the eventual rehabilitation or at least the desire to turn their lives around.

Echo Valley however is just about total dysfunctional and manipulative characters with no redemption at all. It does effectively show the lengths both the addict and the parents of addicts will go to either to get drugs or in this mother's case to try a protect her daughter.

Brad Ingelsby who wrote Mare of Easttown which I loved wrote Echo Valley but in this case his story doesn't echo his previous success.

Despite a good cast that includes Fiona Shaw the story descended into implausible melodrama for this viewer.

Julianne Moore is one of the few working actresses with both the talent and name recognition to elevate any mid-budget movie into a relatively successful and engaging experience. Put her in an aesthetically pleasing house with hardships, and she'll deliver a moving performance full of emotional depth and layered moral quandaries.

There's some immersion-breaking Apple product placement-now a norm for films produced by giant tech companies-but "Echo Valley" remains a suspenseful thriller with minimal violence. It's at its best and original when focusing on the ominous mother-daughter dynamic between Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney, whose performances fully sell the premise.