Park Avenue is a refreshing and insightful look at adult mother daughter relationship dynamic free of melodrama. It is also propelled by two powerful performances and incredible chemistry between Fiona Shaw and Katherine Waterstone.
Park Avenue centres on Charlotte (Katherine Waterstone) fleeing her suffocating life on a ranch with her domineering husband to arrive unannounced at her childhood home, her mother’s Park Avenue apartment. There she not only rediscovers herself but also the relationship with her mother and the lover she had as a teenager. During those six weeks she will discover hidden truths. The real question is can she finally free herself from her domineering and toxic mother and asert her own identity.
I thought the film’s settings mirrored the relationships we witnessed on screen, the fraying grandeur of the mother’s apartment reflected the dynamic between the two women. The script and dialogue felt sparse in places to allow the actors to do what they are meant to: act. It’s difficult to portray toxic mother daughter relationships on screen without the toxic individual being portrayed as comically evil. Here, mercifully, Fiona Shaw delivers a masterclass. It felt authentic and raw: a toxic mother battling her own demons and disappointed and jealous of her own adult child.
Park Avenue is thoughtful, paced well and the direction assured.
Park Avenue is released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from Friday 14 November.
