Story Line
Starring the world-renowned Austin Pendleton and directed by Louis Cox, “Our Lady of Queens” tells the tragic love story of James and Lee; a charming and smart, still very much in love, Irish Catholic elderly couple living with the reality of Lee’s Dementia diagnosis. They call their three adult children home to their apartment in Queens, NY, for a special birthday party.
The family converges for the occasion; James (played by Pendleton), in his late seventies, remains devoted to his terminally ill wife, Lee, who is suffering from advanced Dementia. Their oldest son, James, Jr., a newspaper reporter, battles the same demons of alcoholism as his father. Marty, the middle child, along with his wife Susan—newly religious, sober, and just as self-important as ever—have distanced themselves from the family. Maria, the youngest, a college professor with a recent DWI in The Post, struggles to cope. Nurse Callahan, their long-time Catholic Charities day nurse, is costing too much for them to afford. Sometimes funny, other times sweet and sentimental, complete with a fist fight and irreverent conversations, “Our Lady of Queens” is a close look at the family dynamic and how personal feelings may change, but the strongest bond—the bond of family—will always remain the same.
The film features Andrew J. Beck, Nikki Silva, and Dave Morrissey Jr.—notable for his roles in ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime,’ ‘American Horror Story,’ ‘Dr. Death,’ ‘Mr. Robot,’ and ‘FBI’—as James, Jr., the eldest son battling his own addiction while coming to terms with his mother’s decline. The family’s story, replete with laughter and sorrow, unravels to reveal the complexities of love, faith, and forgiveness.
