Echo Point is a micro-budget thriller by director Evan Marcewicz, who also produced and wrote the screenplay. It’s no secret that we love independent art here in the Wasteland, and I was really excited to review a self-contained passion project with a very intriguing premise.
The film follows Sawyer, having just received his estranged father’s will, as he begins hearing voices from beyond via the cabin radio. These voices may not be what they seem, and Sawyer needs to figure out what’s going on before he becomes a victim himself.
This film is clearly low-budget, but it makes use of what it has. The cabin feels exactly like a creepy old man cabin, complete with hunting memorabilia and way too many guns. I also enjoyed the film’s use of natural light, as this sets up some really interesting shots. The director revealed in his interview with The Honest Filmmaker Podcast that Echo Point was shot in just four days, making the use of real day/night more impressive. The film also uses some prosthetics and practical effects for its gory death scenes, and it’s effective at making things feel real and gross.
Unfortunately, this film’s shortcomings lie mostly in fundamentals. Many of the tracking shots are shaky, and at times it takes you out of the moment. The acting is pretty stiff, and the script features so many scenes to fill time that when something does happen, it’s more of a surprise than a moment of story progression. I think I would give more of this a pass if the film had a central story idea, but it really doesn’t. The film is only an hour long, and most of it is the lead character drinking, driving, shooting, and just generally walking around. We don’t have our first ghost radio moment until almost 20 minutes in.
I think this Marcewicz has a lot of potential and still has the chance to learn. This is his directorial debut, and he already has six more projects lined up on his IMDB. That being said, it brings me no pleasure at all to admit that Echo Point is simply not very watchable. It’s slow, confusing, and lacks narrative focus. I found the bloopers during the credits to be the most watchable part of the film, simply because we feel the actors’ energy and camaraderie in working together. I wish we felt more of that during the film, but things are stoic and empty. Where we should feel tension or interest in the characters, there’s not a whole lot to connect to.
I’m still interested to see what Evan Marcewicz does in the future, as from his interviews it’s clear he is passionate about film and wants to create great art. This film just unfortunately did not work for me, but I still wish him the best in this project and all future projects.
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