Ali & Ava is far from the kind of bright and engaging Hollywood romance that studios usually produce.
The tender and kind Ali & Ava is for those who like their social dramas with an overlay of romance.
A piece of character of slow pace and well observed, Ali & Ava brings to the fore an unlikely relationship later in life that reproduces the axiom that love can really be found in the most unusual places, or with the most unusual people.
There are a lot of brilliant romantic dramas starring people of incredible beauty, often young, who have to overcome exaggerated conflicts (hence so many cancer diagnoses) and eventually fall into the arms of others. Faint.
Ali & Ava does not enter by these troops. He faces the reality of a normal and friendly encounter and the most mundane work that stands in the way of two lovers.
At the core of the film are two empathetic characters who deserve love and happiness, and while it’s not about sparks, it’s nonetheless remarkable when people come together in a world that often feels like it’s against romance.
Ali (Adeel Akhtar) is a British Pakistani who spends time managing his properties and tenants. He and his wife Runa (Ellora Torchia) have separated but still live under the same roof to maintain the claim of their traditional family.
One day, taking one of his tenants’ children to school, he meets Ava (Claire Rushbrook), a teacher’s assistant. Ava has four children and five grandchildren and survived an abusive relationship with an ex who did not die.
Her stormy son Callum (Shaun Thomas) seems to blame her for the breakup of the previous relationship and it doesn’t look too kind for Ali to be in Ava’s life.
Despite the cultural and socio-economic barriers, Ali and Ava are increasingly attracted to each other and, although it is a slow combustion, it is the kind of connection that feels real. Stops and low-level beginnings and conflicts are more relatable than any great Hollywood romance.
There are beautiful pieces of scenery that elevate the chemistry of the characters, such as a distant journey, small moments in dark, cramped rooms, and a large scene in which they both dance with their headphones on.
Music plays a key role in the film. He really enjoys punk, rock and hip hop as she moves into country and folk. It’s a shortcut to their characters and the way they finally open up to the tastes of others – Bob Dylan begins to appreciate – is a wordless testimony to how they’ve become part of a whole.
Director Clio Barnard (The selfish giant, The Tree) is evoking the social realism of Ken Loach’s works, placing his story within a working-class, dull world.
The town of Bradford, in the north of England, where Ali & Ava it’s set up, it’s a little dirty, a little raw, and the clothing options don’t include Burberry trenches.
There is an authenticity Ali & AvaThe little visible love story of him that goes deeper because it’s a drama that could really belong to anyone.
Evaluation: 3.5 / 5
Ali & Ava is already in theaters