ALI AND AVA

Review: Ali and Ava are both lonely for different reasons. Over a lunar month, sparks fly and a deep connection starts to grow. However, their newfound passion together begins to get overshadowed because of the legacy of Ava’s past relationship and also Ali’s breakdown of his marriage.
Director: Clio Barnard
Actors: Adeel Akhtar, Claire Rushbrook, Ellora Torchia, Shaun Thomas, Natalie Gavin, Krupa Pattani, Tasha Connor and Rashid Hussain
Year: 2021
Genre: Drama and Romance
Conclusion: 4/5
This is a social realism film and also a film that I can imagine Ken Loach making and directing. I only wish we could see more films like this one. I can imagine that a story like this and its subject matter is impossible to get right. Somehow Clio Barnard has managed to get it just right without going over the top. I think that the two central performances are amazing. You could tell as well that they enjoyed working on this film and that they got on with each other on set. Clio Barnard also directed The Selfish Giant (2013) which I also enjoyed very much. In Ali and Ava, I felt there wasn’t really much subplot but the film kept on moving. There was no time where I looked at my watch or a dip in the film. I also think that the film worked because of the fantastic script for example “If you can climb up you can climb down”. This has themes in of parenthood, grandparenthood, race, abuse and also the tensions of class.