Just how strong is a mother’s love?
In Apple TV+’s new film, directed by Michael Pearce, it’s enough to dump a body in a lake. Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney star in “Echo Valley,” which centers on the tumultuous relationship between Kate (Moore) and her daughter Claire (Sweeney).
A recent widow who’s losing her horse farm, Kate struggles to see past her grief and recognize her daughter’s manipulative tendencies. She spends all her money on rehabilitation for Claire’s drug addiction, short-lived initiatives that usually end in Claire running off with her dealer boyfriend. Kate becomes financially dependent on her ex-husband (played by Kyle MacLachlan), who writes her one last check, under the condition that she doesn’t spend it on Claire. When Claire comes home one night covered in someone else’s blood, it falls on Kate to pick up the pieces, resulting in a series of events that test the lengths Kate will go to maintain a relationship with her daughter.
“Echo Valley” finds thrill in the psyche of its characters, exacerbated by Moore’s and Sweeney’s performances. Kate is suffocated by her routine after losing her partner Patty, shown in drawn-out shots of her lying in bed and dangling her feet above her floor each morning to prolong her return to everyday life. Each conversation with Claire puts visible wear on Kate, who’s debilitatingly afraid of having to mourn someone else. The audience becomes overly aware of the power imbalance between the pair, but grows to question whether Kate can see the leash Claire walks her with.
Sweeney’s role is a stark departure from her previous characters like “Euphoria’s” bratty Cassie — here, she’s oozing with self-deprecation and clinging to the same destructive behaviors, lashing out in full-blown rage when Kate doesn’t give her what she wants. Even as she’s calling herself a fuckup or disappearing into the woods with her boyfriend, Claire knows how to twist Kate’s arm to get her way.
In “Echo Valley,” Pearce reveals the realities of Claire’s situation to the audience alongside Kate, allowing the film to maintain its tense atmosphere. When Claire first comes home, she tells Kate two truths: She threw her boyfriend’s drugs in the lake, and his boss, Jackie (Domhnall Gleeson), wants her to pay for it. These truths, however, increase in complexity as Claire digs herself deeper into trouble with Jackie, culminating in explosive fights and unsettling appearances by Jackie at the farm. One fight in particular sees Claire at her worst, threatening to kidnap Kate’s dog and yanking her hair — all so she can pay Jackie back.
Between the murder mysteries, erratic drug dealers, and secrets, it’s hard to predict the route “Echo Valley” takes, which makes it all worth the watch. Each of Kate’s desperate attempts to preserve her family are threatened by betrayals or utter apathy, exposing just how unconditional a mother’s love really is.
“Echo Valley” will stream on Apple TV+ on June 13.
(Feature Photo courtesy of Apple TV+)
