Responsibility. While some people consider it a responsibility, a part of learning to grow up, to face challenges Others view it as a burden to an extent and curse it like it is a shackle binding them from fully experiencing life. To people who have depth, it requires work. Work, that is too deep for some, while too simple for others. For 30-year-old Will Baxter (Sam Zvibleman), life would most certainly mean being unmotivated to work and looking for the least commitment possible. Will tends to believe he might care about the goings on around him, but in actuality, it is more non-communital than pro-active. Hence, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say his impulsive, immature, and unreliable mindsets rule him. Although his girlfriend Erin (Christine Weatherup) tries to set him straight, his laziness and drinking habits get the better of their relationship. An unexpected letter from his younger brother certainly sets him on a peculiar path. Will inherited his father’s cabin in the Sierras, but his first idea is to sell it and take the money. He knows that Echo Lake is not a place where he would like to spend time. However, a mixture of memories from his childhood, sitting on a lake with his father in a canoe, and a neighbor Roger (Don Yanan) with a dog named Otis completely changes everything. Together with two campers named Luke (Chris Mollica) and his sister Christie (Jillian Leigh), he goes for a hike and changes his outlook on life for good.
Attempting to write, produce, and direct a feature film for the first time is challenging regardless of one’s skill level. Thankfully, with Jody McVeigh Schultz and “Echo Lake” the results were favorable. Schultz has crafted a grounded character-driven dramedy with skill and elegance. The dialogue, while at times crude and irreverent, is masterfully inserted into each character’s portrayal. Every sentence is delivered with naturalness, which reflects the level of commitment the cast put into the show. The direction is superb. The cinematography is on par with that of a Hollywood blockbuster, as it smoothly guides the viewer from shot to shot without missing a beat. Furthermore, the lake and the surrounding region are stunningly tranquil, angelic, and peaceful. Completing the ellipsis is the score by Joseph Minadeo, which is magnificent.
Zvibleman fully captures the role of Will by perfectly combining complete apathy with a sudden realization that life is much more complex and requires understanding, sincerity, and energy as opposed to allowing his father’s sins to dictate who he is or wants to be. The emotional realities of everything he is presented with during the film are wonderfully conveyed by this brilliant actor. Weatherup as Will’s long-suffering girlfriend, and Yanan as an elder voice of reason, who pair Will with an unexpected responsibility, give equally solid supporting performances along with Mollica and Leigh as new friends that highlight Will’s indifference even more.
In total, “Echo Lake” reverberates with the realities of life and the freedom of choice that undeniably showcase the apathy people carry along with the determination to do the opposite change.
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