A Fractured Ode to Maternal Bonds in "Park Avenue"
Gaby Dellal’s latest feature, "Park Avenue," presents a poignant, if uneven, exploration of a fraught mother-daughter relationship set against the iconic backdrop of New York City's Upper East Side. Released in UK and Irish cinemas on November 14, 2025, the film functions primarily as a vehicle for a commanding lead performance by Fiona Shaw, whose portrayal of an eccentric matriarch is both its central pillar and its most lauded element. The narrative, however, struggles to consistently match the calibre of its principal actor.
Synopsis and Thematic Concerns
The film follows Charlotte (Katherine Waterston), who abruptly flees her life and controlling husband on a cattle ranch in Alberta, Canada. She seeks refuge in her childhood home, a lavish Park Avenue apartment still occupied by her estranged and theatrical mother, Kit (Fiona Shaw). Over six tumultuous weeks, the two women are forced to confront a history of "unshared truths" and deep-seated grievances. The plot introduces a secondary romantic thread as Charlotte reconnects with Anders (Chaske Spencer), the building's doorman and a figure from her past, who finds himself caught between the affections of both mother and daughter.
Directed by Gaby Dellal, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Tina Alexis Allen, the film is described by Dellal as a "love letter to New York." It draws inspiration from Dellal's own maternal relationship, aiming to dissect universal themes of family, identity, grief, and the difficult path to reconciliation. The narrative grapples with heavy subjects, including illness and emotional manipulation, attempting to balance them with moments of levity and wry humor.
A Study in Contrasting Performances
Critical consensus points to Fiona Shaw's performance as Kit as the film's unequivocal triumph. Described as "operatic" and "magnificent," Shaw delivers a nuanced portrayal of a woman whose sharp-tongued, flamboyant exterior masks profound vulnerability and decades of secrets. Her ability to convey deep emotion through subtle expressions and moments of silence has been singled out as a masterclass in quiet acting. Early festival screenings at Santa Barbara and Dublin International Film Festivals generated considerable praise for Shaw, with some critics suggesting her performance is of a calibre that invites awards consideration.
Katherine Waterston's portrayal of Charlotte has received a more mixed assessment. Some reviews praise her "quiet, magnetic intensity" and her ability to embody a character who is both fragile and determined. Others, however, find her performance less compelling, suggesting that the character comes across as "unlikable" and that Waterston struggles to match Shaw's emotional range until the film's later stages. The on-screen chemistry between the two leads is noted as "electric" by some, capturing the charged history between mother and daughter, while others feel the characters remain performative and fail to feel entirely real.
Direction and Technical Execution
The direction by Gaby Dellal has proven to be a point of contention among critics. While the film is praised for its visual style, with cinematography that bathes New York in a "soft, golden melancholy," its structural and editing choices have drawn criticism. Several reviews note that the film feels "fragmented" and that its "choppy cuts" and rapid pace undermine the emotional weight of key scenes. The editing is accused of not allowing dramatic moments to breathe, cutting away from Shaw’s nuanced expressions too quickly and preventing the narrative from achieving a cohesive flow. This results in a story that sometimes feels like a "collection of vignettes" rather than a unified whole, and a tone that can shift indecisively between whimsy and profundity.
Furthermore, while the screenplay touches upon significant emotional territory, such as Charlotte's controlling marriage, these elements are often treated as context rather than being fully explored. This leaves the central mother-daughter dynamic to carry the entire emotional weight of the film, a task that rests heavily on the shoulders of its lead actors.
Final Assessment
"Park Avenue" is a film of notable strengths and discernible weaknesses. It is anchored by a powerhouse performance from Fiona Shaw, whose portrayal of Kit is a compelling study in complexity and contradiction. The film is visually elegant and thematically ambitious, seeking to provide a heartfelt examination of the intricate, often painful, bonds between a mother and her daughter. However, its narrative impact is frequently diluted by directorial choices that favor a fragmented, rapidly paced style over sustained emotional development. While the central performances, particularly Shaw's, make it a worthwhile watch, the film ultimately feels like a handsomely mounted but structurally flawed drama that doesn't quite coalesce into the devastating emotional gut-punch it aims to be.
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