Park Avenue (2025) – Film Review
Director: Gabby Dellal
Cast: Fiona Shaw, Katherine Waterston, Chaske Spencer
Certificate 12A
By Roger Crow
Full marks to writer-director Gabby Dellal for pulling off what is one of the most depressing films of the year, but no less worthy.
Park Avenue starts off rather intriguingly on a ranch with the central protagonist, Charlotte, brilliantly played by Katherine Waterston, deciding to give up that life and go back to New York, where she meets up with her mother, Kit, who lives in this rather posh New York apartment. The mother is excellently played by Fiona Shaw, who never gives a bad performance.
There’s a nice little Easter egg at the start, if you’re a fan of Grease, when Katherine Waterston’s character bumps into Diddi Conn, who you will remember as Frenchie in the film.
And yes, Katherine’s character does name check her by saying “Frenchie”. Now, that’s not officially her name, but Gabby decided to add it as a nice little in-joke for any fans of Grease. Naturally, my ears pricked up at the sound of that.
“Heartbreaking”
There’s a lovely, steamy little subplot involving one of the apartment block workers, played by Chaske Spencer. Now, if you’re a fan of Emily Blunt’s series, The English, which popped up a couple of years ago and was absolutely mesmerising, then you’ll recognise him.
The apartment block is a bit of a character in itself. It’s quite interesting the way that the gold on Fiona Shaw’s attire matches the gold on the elevator doors. If you’re a movie geek that likes looking for thematic issues within costume and surroundings, then that’s definitely a plus point.
The first act: there’s a romantic subplot, and this relationship between mother and daughter that ticks over like a Swiss watch.
The second half is quite depressing. If you’ve ever lost anyone to a major illness and have had to watch them wither and die, it’s just heartbreaking. Personally, I could not have watched this six years ago, but the years have been a little bit kinder since. However, if you don’t mind stuff which I loosely label ‘misery porn’, then this will probably tick a box. But you will need a massive box of tissues for the duration.
“Beautifully crafted”
The soundtrack is fantastic. And as I mentioned to the director, it’s nice that they don’t hammer the point home. Maybe 50% of it is music, 50% isn’t. So you are left to process your own emotions instead of being told what to think, like so many filmmakers do these days. And if you remember The Cosby Show, then the brilliant Phylicia Rashad is also in it. I had to do a double take when she appeared because I didn’t instantly recognise her. I’ve not seen many projects that she’s been in lately, so it’s lovely to see her back, especially in a movie.
I don’t know how well Park Avenue will do on the big screen. I’ve got a feeling it will do better on digital. And it’s bound to pop up on Sky in a few weeks, because the gap between a home video release or a big screen release tends to be almost non-existent these days.
Co-writer/director Gabby Dellal does a brilliant job throughout. It’s not an easy subject matter and not the most commercial, but I found it very intriguing, beautifully crafted, the editing is splendid, and the cinematography is amazing. So it’s definitely one to watch. But like I say, make sure you’ve got a massive box of tissues on standby.
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast
