Julianne Moore & Sydney Sweeney star in Apple Films Echo Valley (2025) | Review

Echo Valley (2025) pushes the boundaries of a mother’s love, forcing a mother to question how far she will go to protect her child. Echo Valley stars Julianne Moore in the lead role of Kate, a broken mother who cannot stop helping her addict daughter. Claire, played by Sydney Sweeney, is the manipulative, calculated yet vulnerable daughter who pushes her mother to the edge of sanity and morality. 

Echo Valley (2025) was a rush, the film continued to flip the narrative and leave you wondering what the outcome was going to be. I was lost in the plot, trying to find a way out of the hole they’d put themselves in but the story was a fortress of writing. Written by Brad Ingelsby, known for the HBO series "Mare of Easttown”, Echo Valley (2025) was an enthralling tale of family, grief, acceptance and betrayal. 

Set in one primary location, an isolated and picturesque horse ranch, Kate is a lonely character who takes each day as it comes. Kate is grieving the loss of her wife, she is vulnerable, on the brink of giving up all together but when her daughter appears at her door begging for help she falls at her feet. Echo Valley (2025) explores the question of unconditional love, the deep emotional connection between a mother and her child. 

Echo Valley (2025) was a thrilling drama with plot twists and unexpected outcomes, it was packed full with strong characters, high stakes and crime. A unexpectedly enticing drama which kept me on my toes the entire time as well as the whole audience in the cinema; shouting and gasping at films shocking reveals and surprising moments. 

Julianne Moore was incredibly powerful as Kate, yes she was a broken woman. Broken with grief, neglect and loneliness but she has a deep strength within her which build throughout the film. Sweeney acts as a catalyst throughout the film, taunting her mother but Moore is the core of this film. Moore acted with ease, she was believable and justified in every decision she made, even the most disturbing. Moore is a mother and I felt as though her personal experience was able to help fuel her attachment to Sweeney’s Claire. Moore made Kate deeply calculating, unassuming and intelligent - a true underdog. 

Thank you to Massive Cinema for inviting Film Probe to experience this pre-screening of Echo Valley (2025). Michael Pearce, the director, also shared a few insights into the films production. Explaining that Moore and Sweeney had incredible chemistry and admired each others work, their chemistry and relationship with one another on screen was electric and truly believable. I was in awe of their bond on screen which made the ultimate betrayal all the more heartbreaking. 

Echo Valley begins streaming on June 13 exclusively on Apple TV+

Probe Points

★★★★☆