Sydney Sweeney’s Apple TV+ Thriller Is Slowly Climbing the Streaming Charts Despite 52% RT Score

Sydney Sweeney’s latest Apple TV+ thriller movie, Echo Valley, might have a lackluster Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 52%, but it is moving up the charts and is currently placed at the third position in the movie section, per Flix Patrol. The movie stars Julianne Moore as a weathered horse trainer, Kate Garrett, and Sweeney as Kate’s daughter, Claire Garrett.

Echo Valley had a limited theatrical release in Canada and the U.S. on June 6, 2025, ahead of its premiere on Apple TV+ on June 13. While the movie has not been a critical darling, with an IMDb score of 6.3, it is still racking up views on Apple TV+.

It is only behind titles like Fountain of Youth and The Gorge, leaving behind high-profile movies such as Wolfs and Greyhound. While Fountain of Youth is a heist action-adventure starring Natalie Portman and John Krasinski, The Gorge is a sci-fi romantic drama featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller in the lead roles.

What Is Echo Valley About?

Produced by Ridley Scott and directed by filmmaker Michael Pearce (Beast, Encounter), it is a tense, character-driven thriller that centers on a mother whose love is tested to the breaking point. Julianne Moore’s Kate is bereft due to the recent death of her wife, when her drug-addict daughter, Claire (Sydney Sweeney), shows up at her door and begs for help.

Seeing Claire crying and covered in blood, Kate’s first instinct is to make sure that her child is alright. It does not take long for Claire to open up to her mother about the terrible crime she has committed. From that moment on, Kate is forced into a dark and morally complex situation, grappling with how far she is willing to go to protect her daughter.

Set against the rustic and isolating backdrop of a Pennsylvania horse farm, Echo Valley blends psychological drama with suspense, with themes of grief, addiction, loyalty, and survival woven through the plot.

Besides Moore and Sweeney, Echo Valley also stars Fiona Shaw, Kyle MacLachlan, Edmund Donovan, and Domhnall Gleeson, among others. Mare of Easttown creator Brad Inglesby penned the screenplay and is also one of the producers.

Echo Valley on Apple TV+: Stream It or Skip It?

Echo Valley is not your conventional thriller driven by plot twists or relentless action. Instead, it heavily depends on the atmosphere and performance. Neither Moore nor Sweeney is trying to charm the audience. If anything, their characters make it increasingly harder to even root for them.

As it progresses, Echo Valley moves away from the tense mother-daughter relationship to the more pulpy storytelling. The first plot twist makes the relationship between Kate and Claire even more complex than it already is, what with Kate literally draining her finances to get Claire through rehab.

Then comes the second plot twist, and you cannot help but wonder: What just exactly happened? This is when Kate pushes her moral boundaries even further than she already had in her attempt to protect Claire. She is no longer just a mother protecting her daughter; she becomes a woman pushed to the edge, forced to confront the limits of her own morality, all while navigating grief and betrayal.

Unlike some of Sweeney’s past roles and even her recent ad campaign for American Eagle, this movie casts her in a far darker, more volatile light, pushing her into emotionally raw territory that highlights her range as an actress. While Sweeney does her role well, Moore clearly outshines her as she delivers yet another compelling performance.

If you’re drawn to atmospheric thrillers with strong performances and don’t mind a story that raises more questions than it answers, stream it. Skip it if you prefer your thrillers to be tightly plotted, action-packed, conclusive, and believable, because this movie will need you to put believability aside.

Would you like to see Sydney Sweeney play more such roles?

Echo Valley is available to stream on Apple TV+.