by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Parenting is a challenge because of all the roadblocks that life can throw at you. Parenting someone with an addiction is a whole other animal. The drive to do anything to get what you are addicted to can easily strain any type of relationship, and compromise trust at every turn. As a parent, you are often more vulnerable to trusting your own children, and are willing to go through more to support them. This can lead to situations where parents harm themselves and damage their own lives in the name of their child. This scenario has plenty of potential for drama and tension. It would be a shame if a film tackling such a story would throw it away to offer a trope-filled crime thriller instead. Yet that’s exactly what Echo Valley does.
Director Michael Pearce’s previous work, Beast, is an unsung film from the past 10 years, demonstrating his potential. The first half Echo Valley leans into our protagonist Kate (Julianne Moore) dealing with her daughter Claire (Sydney Sweeney), a struggling addict. In the aftermath of losing her wife, because of all the money she’s spent on Claire, Kate needs to borrow money from her ex-husband Richard (Kyle MacLachlan) to keep her farm afloat. That is what the film really is about… for the first half at least. Then, Brad Ingelsby’s script shifts gears, running through crime thriller beats that stem from a horrible man from Claire’s circle making Kate’s life a living hell. The film throws away well-established character work in favor of twists and turns crafted from obvious tired tropes. It’s even less effective because of heavy-handed exposition dumping to over-explain the twists, when Pearce already laid down enough subtle clues to piece it together already. Echo Valley is truly a tale of two halves, with the second sinking much of the efforts in the first.
The script might have plenty of its issues, but the direction is a bright spot. Pearce has shown his abilities with films like Beast, and Echo Valley shows off that great tension. Pearce puts the audience right there with Kate as she struggles with a wide range of precarious scenarios. The atmosphere is palpable.
But the emotion in the air is poignant as well. There is so much grief, loss, and trauma floating around Kate and Claire, with Pearce capitalizing and delivering moving, scary, and unnerving moments along the way. One confrontation between Kate and Claire will put a bad feeling deep in the pit of your stomach. A few moments show some dynamic directorial choices, including a slow-motion sequence that captures the first-time usage of a powerful drug.
Yet the committed and impactful cast is the strongest element of the film. Moore is a veteran performer at the top of her game. She brings so many layers to her performance of a woman with pain present in every moment. Some of the film’s strongest moments stem from Moore’s presence.
Sweeney delivers an erratic, challenging, and deeply emotional performance. There is a moment where she is scary and someone you don’t want to be in the same room with. This dynamic duo is the real heart and soul of the film, despite Sweeney being sidelined by the drastic narrative shift.
Domhnall Gleeson portrays a scummy drug dealer who has next to zero characterization, but at least he delivers some menace to the role. Kate’s best friend and support is her friend Leslie who is brought to life with great zeal and passion by Fiona Shaw. Moore and Shaw have great chemistry, giving their shared scenes weight. Outside of MacLachlan’s brief, minor, not many other performances stand out.
Echo Valley is such a frustrating film. If the story stayed its course with the heavy and gripping drama anchored by the strained dynamic between Kate and Claire, it could have been a huge winner. But spiraling it into a trope-filled and clunkily told crime thriller squanders rich thematic work and potential.
Rating: Didn’t Like It
Echo Valley is currently streaming on Apple TV+
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