Synopsis
Sparks fly after Ali and Ava meet through their shared affection for Sofia, the child of Ali’s tenants whom Ava teaches. Ali finds comfort in Ava’s warmth and kindness while Ava finds Ali’s complexity and humour irresistible. As the pair begin to form a deep connection they have to find a way to keep their newfound passion from being overshadowed by the stresses and struggles of their separate lives and histories.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Adeel AkhtarAli
- Claire RushbrookAva
- Natalie GavinDawn
- Macy ShackletonVenice
- Ellora TorchiaRuna
- Shaun ThomasCallum
- Mona GoodwinMichelle
- Krupa PattaniUsma
- Vinny DhillonJameela
- Tasha ConnorKaren
Recommendations
- 100
CineVue
This is a film about the ordinariness of love. - 91
IndieWire
Barnard once again proves herself the bard of the British working class. In Ali & Ava, she abandons her occasionally bleak realism for a kind of stubborn hopefulness, letting the delight of unexpected connection break through the storm clouds. - 88
Slant Magazine
Ali & Ava once again showcases Clio Barnard’s uncanny ability to capture the insoluble complexities of life. - 83
The Film Stage
Despite Ali & Ava proving a heartwarmingly funny and rich love story, its strength truly lies in the characters’ melancholic confrontation with their underlying pain. - 80
Empire
A compassionate and tenderly performed love story, with a musical current coursing through it. British cinema is lucky to have Clio Barnard. - 80
Little White Lies
With Ali & Ava, Barnard triumphs in presenting a romance tale that is deeply grounded, yet in its well-matched leads and heartfelt story, still possesses the magic required to sweep the audience off its feet. - 80
The Irish Times
Akhtar, an actor who was so impressive in Four Lions and Utopia, and Claire Rushbrook, recently seen as Enola Holmes’s housekeeper, make for a quietly magnetic couple. For all the obstacles they face, this remains a strangely joyful film. - 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
A quiet study of its characters, Ali & Ava is a fresh take on otherwise well-worn rom-com narratives.
