In “Ali & Ava”, writer director Clio Bernard (“The Arbor”, “The Selfish Giant”) has an emotional romance with the recently separated British-Pakistani DJ Ali (Adeel Akhtar). I am devoted to alchemy. His wife and Ava (Claire Rushbrook), an Irish-British teacher and mother of four.
The two are brought together by mutual love for one of Ava’s students, and this understated indie film sticks unpleasantly to the surface of their relationship, but still offers something pure, melodic and accurate. To do. Bernard and cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkelan focus on the vibrant blue and peach pops of the foggy sunshine and moonlit nights of the northern English town, and the unmistakable warmth of the film. Infused. Heavy handheld camerawork prioritizes close-up images, especially when portraying the growing bond between Ali and Ava.
Still, the on-screen chemistry between them feels coercive and flat, and the apparently tame depiction of physical intimacy only emphasizes this absence. The tension that the interracial relationship between Ali and Ava surfaced in Ava’s family and white neighborhood is rarely considered in the film, and the result is unconvincing in Yorkshire’s embarrassed factory town. It’s a fairy tale of racial reconciliation.
When the film has buoyancy, it’s through a blend of digestive music and traditional scoring to create an auditory equivalent of tracking shots. From Bob Dylan’s 1960s folk tune “Mama You Been on My Mind” to the more modern pop, techno and bangla grooves, the music is played continuously in multiple scenes at the moment of a particular choice, with Ali. Provides an immersive link to Ava’s internal soundtrack. What if “Ali & Ava” could blossom into a full-fledged musical? I was able to dance to it.
Ali & Ava
Unrated. Execution time: 1 hour 35 minutes. In the theater.
