User reviews

If ever a film made you want to scream in frustration, this would be it. From the constant betrayals of trust, to people getting away with horrendous crimes, to the overly-forgiving mom... it will drive you INSANE! That said, the acting was excellent across the board. Julianne Moore is convincing as the mother who will do anything for her child, even if her role is identical to what she's done in her last 50 films. Sydney Sweeney, while perhaps slightly exaggerated at times, delivers a strong performance as an addict, with very realistic addict behaviours. The standout for me was Domhnall Gleeson, who truly shone as the conniving, self-centred drug dealer. I'm so used to seeing him in more passive, underdog roles, so this was a great chance for him to show a different side.

That being said, the story and plot were absolutely maddening. I cannot accept the way Moore's character Kate treats Claire (Sweeney), and vice versa. It felt far too unrealistic. A mother's love is unconditional, yes, but there is a difference between unconditional and overindulgent. At some point, long before the events in the film, Kate should have realised that her constant "help" was doing far more harm than good. I hate when films normalise this dynamic between parents and children and villainise the voice of reason. I fully understand the parental instinct to protect your children at all costs, but when your actions only drag them deeper into their self-destruction, who are you really protecting?

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.

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.

Greetings again from the darkness. We should all be so fortunate to have a friend as loyal as Leslie, and we should strive to be wiser than Kate so that we don't ever have the need to test that friend's loyalty. Director Michael Pearce (ENCOUNTER, 2021) is working with a script from screenwriter Brad Ingelsby (the excellent "Mare of Easttown", OUT OF THE FURNACE, 2018), and a superb cast to deliver a thriller that offers both familiar territory and twists and turns in a film that is ultimately relatively entertaining to watch.

The film opens with a stunning overhead shot of a lifeless body floating in the middle of a tree-lined lake. We don't know who it is or the story of how it got there. Oscar winner Julianne Moore plays Kate, still in a grieving funk nine months after a tragic accident killed her wife Patty (Kristina Valada-Viars, "Chicago Med"), who is seen only in flashbacks and heard on saved voicemails. Kate manages to crawl from bed each morning and do just enough to keep her horses alive on the farm where her business is giving riding lessons. Since she's cancelled most of those lessons, she must grovel to her ex-husband (Kyle MacLachlan) so she can fix the sagging roof on her barn. The two argue about money, her state of mind, and their daughter ... whom dad describes as "sick".

It doesn't take long for us to understand how all the pieces of their argument fit together because daughter Claire (Sydney Sweeney, "The White Lotus", "Euphoria") shows up at the farm, and we learn that her mother Kate is the ultimate example of an enabler. Claire has a long-standing drug problem as well as the corresponding mental issues. She knows her mother can be manipulated into doing just about anything for her. It doesn't take long for a couple of other players to enter. Ryan (Edmund Duncan) is Claire's drug-addled boyfriend, and Jackie (the ubiquitous Domhnall Gleeson) is their compelling drug dealer ... one who is out about ten grand due to the idiocy of Claire and Ryan.

Once the dynamics are in place, the twists and turns begin - none of which will be detailed here. You should know that it's all pretty suspenseful provided you are able to overlook a bit of creative stretching from a storytelling perspective. Fiona Shaw plays Kate's bestie Leslie (as mentioned in the opening paragraph), and what comes across clearly here is that this group of actors definitely elevate the material to the point where we actually care what happens to Kate, Claire, and Leslie. Ms. Moore excels in her grief, in her role as (overly) dedicated mother, and as a shrewd independent. Ms. Sweeney goes against her usual glam role and flashes some pretty impressive emotional range, while Mr. Gleeson nails the opportunistic drug dealer. It's kind of hard not to notice that the males in the story are all various shades of scumbags, save for the detective near the end.

Cinematographer Benjamin Kracun (PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, 2020) manages to capture both the beauty of the setting and the intensity and emotion of the personal interactions. Composer Jed Kurzel (SLOW WEST, 2015; THE BABDOOK, 2014) takes a unique approach to the score, preventing it from sounding like most suspense films. It seems probable that Mr. Ingelsby writing and Mr. Pearce's directing would have been better served in a limited series ... although this outstanding cast might not have happened. I found the film's ending somewhat less than satisfying, yet overall the entertainment value was fine.

The film will premiere globally on AppleTV+ on June 13, 2025.

One of the greatest actresses in the world, really digging into her part as the mother of a wayward daughter. You believe her in the first half as she tries to cover up evidence and a body. Then things go sideways and a little dopey. The second half could've used a serious rewrite. Just didn't buy it. No spoilers. I'm giving this a 7 because Julianne Moore gives a world class performance and you believe it. Sydney Sweeney is also great as the junkie daughter. The very last scene was so predictable that it made me cringe. But overall it's a good watch because of the two leads. Gleeson is also believable as the dealer. Second half could've used a rewrite.

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.

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.

I loved the twists actually. Pretty smart stuff, holes of course but acting is good and it's a fun show.

That said lol way too manic. It felt like a year happened in 2 hours, and in the weirdest worst way. It wasn't allowed to breath, and it's just mediocre it a bit below that because if it.

I still liked it though. These are two very good actors. SS brings such a rawness to her unstable characters, that lack of morality but "underneath" i have a heart of gold...she is perfect for those roles. JM is always solid, but this one just doesn't allow her enough of the downtime to let the intensity really shine.

Daughter is irremediably awful, overacted by Sydney Sweeney (even though she's a great actor I just didn't get into this role at all). The first half is just a torture show of bad daughter activities.

Movie picks up a bit in the last 2/3 but overall I just found the acting and characters flat and not really good enough to hold the screen. I get the point of the movie about grief and unconditional love bla bla bla, it just really didn't work for me.

The ending was pretty solid overall and this is an okay movie to kill a few hours, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Overall ok in every way but that's it. Solid 5/10. The end.

This movie is a gripping thriller about a mother's unconditional love for her daughter. The performances were amazing the cinematography was as expected of an apple studio movie or tv show just perfect. Julianne Moore and the rest of the cast deliver powerful performances and you know they're great because you find yourself getting frustrated with some of the characters and the trajectory the plot takes was infuriating to say the least but then it starts to mellow out. Now this trajectory sometimes works but in sone cases you find yourself wanting to just turn the tv off or whatever Kendrick Lamar said lol and I really almost did except I always finish what start but I do mildly recommend this movie. And I say mildly because of how this movie ENDS. All I can say is I HATED Sydney sweeney's character was the WORST. Produced by Ridley Scott and Directed by Micheal Pearce.

In lacklustre thriller "Echo Valley" struggling horse-rancher Julianne Moore has various issues, many rising (to the chagrin of ex-hubbie Kyle Lachlan (cameo)) from her coddling of manipulative addict daughter Sydney Sweeney... who drags her into an implausible plot involving death, cover up, nasty drug dealer Domhnall Gleeson, extortion, Moore's pal Fiona Shaw, and a whole lotta lies. Performances are ok, Brad Ingelsby's screenplay twists along (albeit rather clunkily), and it's all bolted together by director Michael Pearce (albeit with way less atmosphere than in his first two movies "Beast" & "Encounter"). It's passable, but with all its talent it should be MUCH better.

Apple Studios, on its streaming platform, offers us a dramatic thriller led by two great actresses who are the mainstay that helps the film reach its peak. Juliane Moore and Sydney Sweeney, together, manage to convey the film's best moments with their powerful scenes.

Directed by British filmmaker Michael Pearce and written by Brad Ingelsby and Michael A. Pruss, this dramatic thriller takes us through the suffering of a mother and her true love for her daughter in a disturbing story about what you're willing to do for your children. The script can be divided into two parts. The first is a more or less conventional film that highlights the performance of its two protagonists and delivers a couple of scenes that are worthwhile as a whole, allowing you to engage with the story at hand. The second part, where the script takes things up a notch to give us a little more daring, is where Julianne Moore shines, taking the film on her shoulders, presenting us with a climax far superior to what the first part had been showing us.

In any case, the film isn't entirely perfect, but its final section largely demonstrates the story's potential. The film also features supporting actors who are up to par, such as Domhnall Gleeson and Fiona Shaw, who manage to match the level of commitment of their two leads. It's a film that relies heavily on the acting ability of its cast.

We also find well-directed filmmaking, beautiful photography, and an intense soundtrack that keep this thriller effective and quite entertaining, even though it lacks the intensity needed to be memorable beyond the genre it serves. It has a couple of well-resolved twists and some questionable decisions, resulting in a mixed bag of ideas, but all in all, it establishes a decent proposal from Apple TV+.

A watchable film that adds to the streaming catalog available on platforms. Given its cast, it's worth a chance, and the successes it achieves are more satisfying than any doubts the film may leave us with regarding its results. It's entertaining and fulfilling, standing out beyond its genre, but it certainly isn't a waste of time to give it a try.

Echo Valley: This thriller film features a drug-addicted daughter and her protective mother. The movie slowly unfolds the events rather than being fast-pace... While watching this film, it felt as effective as "Gone Girl," though "Gone Girl" portrays a more ruthless and immoral characterization... "Echo Valley" has no flaws or logical mistakes, making it a good thriller.... The camera shots, farm, and landscapes are beautifully portrayed..... It's the film's most suspenseful sequence...Some find it over-the-top or implausible... Others say it brings the story's emotional stakes full circle....

Maddening at times and contrived at others, this is far from a perfect film, but it was entertaining, and the performances from Domhnall Gleeson (the sleazy drug dealer) and Sydney Sweeney (the rage-filled junkie of a daughter) are quite good. The first twist has a tip-off and you may howl at just how far a mother will go for her daughter, but the second twist was clever and cathartic, even if Michael Pearce felt a need to over-explain everything. Not a big fan of the ending though; I think it would have been better darker, without the attempt at tugging on the heartstrings, which was undeserved.

I am not discovering in 2025 Julianne Moore. She is one of the most talented women in the industry. I think she will be remembered for several roles, but I discovered her in Hannibal. Great interpretation even Jodie Foster's shadow.

Here in Echo Valley, Julianne Moore interpret the role of a tired mother, who loves her daughter, even she is problematic. Not an original story, and not a great addition to the genre, but still watchable because of the great cast. Sydney Sweeney, is great here too, even sometimes tries to exaggerate her character.

So, overall a good thriller if you haven't watched similar movies, and entertaining if you know several similar movies.

Initially thought it was gonna suck but it was surprisingly enjoyable. The music score fit the vibe really well and it is definitely a depressing bleak movie so they did a good job making it as depressing as possible but it eventually paid off towards the second half of the movie. Domhall Gleeson was awesome at being super unlikable and played really into someone you wanted to punch in the face. Julianne Moore did her thing and at times there was too much going on plot wise but i think this director was inexperienced since some of the shots dragged out without substance. Only a few directors can do long shots well and he was not one of them but I will give him a shot if he makes another film in the future.

This movie is quite great. It has a twist right in the middle that left me quite speechless, in a good way. I did not see that coming! It turned this movie from just meh to really great. The problem is that after that twist, the second half isn't as interesting. Also, there are unnecessary characters like the ex-wife and the lesbian friend that really did not add anything to the movie and didn't need to be there. If it wasn't for just those few flaws and if it had a better second half, this movie could have been a 10 out of 10. Still, it's worth watching, it's enjoyable, and the ending will let you thinking about it.