Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore impress in the slow-burning drama thriller ‘Echo Valley’.
Echo Valley premiered on Apple TV+ with a decent amount of expectations lingering upon it. The drama thriller directed by Michael Pearce and written by Brad Ingelsby stars Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore as the lead actors. The casting alone proved enough to entice the audiences to wait for its release eagerly.
What really became a bonus to land a decent buzz for the movie was it being pitched as an out-and-out drama thriller. The trailer released earlier does seem to denote a plot wrapped around a highly twisting story. In addition to that, it was easy to envision from the trailer that Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney will be sharing a mother-daughter relationship in the movie.
Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore make Echo Valley a riveting watch
The performances of the lead star cast make Echo Valley an intriguing and memorable watch. The script and the story provide enough depth to build on-screen tension and make the viewers indulge in the emotions of the lead characters. However, what adds substance to the director’s vision is the mature and convincing on-screen performances.
It’s been a year of strong female performances so far. Florence Pugh did it in Thunderbolts; Ana de Armas delivered a menacing performance in Ballerina. And now Sydney Sweeney and Julianne Moore have showcased their acting prowess in Echo Valley.
Sydney Sweeney manages to capture the essence of her character perfectly. She effortlessly plays a coming-of-age girl who finds herself in a diabolical situation, where there seems to be no exit. Her expressions, eye movements, body language, feared/aggressive dialogue delivery, portrayal of panicked decision making, everything delivers the crux of the character ‘Claire’ played by her.
Julianne Moore stepped into the shoes of her character ‘Kate’ like she was always meant to play her. Her dialogue delivery, reflection of pain, fighting spirit, showcase of the unreasonable love for her daughter, and clever executions of plans, everything looks so natural on screen. Julianne’s screen presence is what makes Echo Valley one of the most eye-catching drama thrillers of recent times.
Positive and negative aspects of the Echo Valley movie
One of the negative aspects that can be pointed out in the Echo Valley review is the slightly slow pacing of the movie. Though by nature it’s designed to be a slow-burning drama thriller, at times it gets slightly more clingy than required. This hampers the viewer’s interest a bit. Also, the editing could have been sharper in a few places in the movie.
Now, coming on the positive side of things, the script/story is really tight. It leaves no room for any unturned corners. As the plot unfolds, it seemingly provides all the answers that a viewer might have while watching the movie. One of the strongest elements that can be mentioned in the Echo Valley review is its climax. The setup for the climax, even before its execution in the story, leaves viewers speechless.
