Echo Valley
Writer Brad Ingelsby (the creator of "Mare of Easttown") sets up a relatable moral hook, asking how far a parent should go for a self-destructive child that brings chaos with them wherever they go. Kate (Julianne Moore) is an isolated woman dealing with the recent loss of her partner and struggling to maintain her farm on her own. She is forced to beg for money from her wealthy ex-husband (Kyle MacLachlan, sadly only in one scene), who agrees to cut her one last check, even as he knows the money is probably going to be wasted on their heroin-addicted daughter Claire (Sydney Sweeney), who Kate coddles to her own detriment. Kate doesn't have much else left in her life but her daughter, who she loves with abandon, giving her whatever she wants when she appears out of the blue and shamelessly takes advantage of her mother's unconditional love.
Eventually, Claire and her deadbeat boyfriend end up getting Kate entangled in a dangerous situation with a local drug dealer (Domhnall Gleeson), who comes looking for 10 grand in heroin that nobody has, and is willing to get seriously nasty in order to get his money back.
Sweeney, looking more rough and tumbled than you may be used to seeing her, has good chemistry with Moore, and their scenes together are some of the movie's best. They cuddle on the couch together watching movies or enjoy a trip to the beach, one moment the very picture of domestic bliss, the very next at each other's throats. Claire is often seconds away from a meltdown of need and desperation, and often punctuates these fits with violence. In one particularly effective and frightening scene, she chases her mother through the house, shoving her and tearing at her hair until Kate has to lock herself in her own bedroom as Sweeney rabidly screams and pounds on the door like an animal.
Even so, Kate still goes above and beyond for her daughter. The drug situation spirals out of control, and Claire shows up with a dead body in her car. Kate doesn't hesitate to take care of the situation herself, flexing some serious physical skills to dispose of all evidence in a nearby lake, and finding a way to pay off the drug dealer.
At this point, the movie seems to be over, but some truly surprising twists take things in a completely different direction. Domhnall Gleeson's character takes center stage, as he smells an opportunity to take advantage of Kate's situation and make some more money. Gleeson's character is clearly dangerous but oddly charming, more of a grounded realist and slightly more intelligent than your typical rural drug dealer that frequents movies like this. He helps kick off a third act that seems designed to push Kate to her breaking point, trying to see how much she can possibly stand before something snaps. The series of reveals that lead us to the movie's conclusion are a bit contrived, setting up Kate as a quasi-mastermind with her small crew of ride-or-die friends (especially Fiona Shaw, whose character is almost ludicrously down for whatever Kate needs). It's all very thrilling, even if not entirely logically consistent, as it just feels good to see Kate finally take the reins of her life and fight back.
Kate and Claire's relationship takes a backseat for a long stretch as Kate deals with the consequences of Claire's actions, and Claire actually disappears from the movie entirely until the very final few seconds. The movie wants to leave you with the question: would you still be there for your daughter after all you've just seen? I know my answer (no) and I find it hard to accept that Kate might feel any different, but the fact that it's even ambiguous goes to show you how complicated and situationally unique familial love can be. It's an interesting note to try and hit, even if the movie's stakes are so over-the-top that it goes beyond relatability. But still, there's something there to chew on, which feels like enough from an expensive thriller put out on a major streaming network in 2025.
