United Kingdom 2022 - DCP - 95 minutes, in English

Director, Screenplay: Clio Barnard

Producer: Tracy O’Riordan

Cast: Adeel Akhtar, Claire Rushbrook

Print Courtesy: Greenwich Entertainment

Thursday, July 14 6:00 P.M. | RR3

Is it a thoroughly unconventional love story? A thoroughly joyful and unusual multicultural story? ALI AND AVA is both of those and more. You’ll not readily forget the film’s two lively title characters, nor the performances of the, yes, unconventional, actors who play them, Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook. Director Clio Barnard’s miraculous movie is based on real people she met while shooting two previous films in West Yorkshire, England. Both lonely for different reasons, Ali and Ava meet through their shared affection for 6-year-old Sofia, the child of Ali’s Slovakian tenants, whom Ava teaches. Ali finds comfort in Ava’s warmth and kindness and Ava finds Ali’s complexity and humor irresistible. Over a lunar month, sparks fly and a deep connection begins to grow. However, the legacy of Ava’s past relationship and Ali’s emotional turmoil at the breakdown of his marriage threatens to overshadow their newfound passion. Enveloped in music and imbued with humor, ALI AND AVA is as unforgettable as its characters. —Ken

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