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I'm convinced Clio Barnard makes films just for me. Even down to the Pogues on Karaoke. What a performance by Adheel Akhtar as Ali, an extremely likeable man with a tragic past who is lonely and takes a shine to Ava, a teaching assistant with a similar story but a completely different heritage. This is my film of the year so far, and is one of the best new films I've seen for a long, long time.
It's another neo-realist, social commentary film from Barnard it but has lots of themes such as passing on cultural traditions from one generation to the next. Made me laugh and made me cry. The subtext and symbols are examples of such good filmmaking (the refurbished chair, getting rid of the old boots, learning to like folk music, learning to climb down the frame on your own, being at the cemetery - these will make sense to those who have seen the film). Loach, Arnold and even de Sica, and Rosselini are influenced here. I absolutely loved this film. 9/10.
Ali & Ava' (2022)
I'm convinced Clio Barnard makes films just for me. Even down to the Pogues on Karaoke. What a performance by Adheel Akhtar as Ali, an extremely likeable man with a tragic past who is lonely and takes a shine to Ava, a teaching assistant with a similar story but a completely different heritage. This is my film of the year so far, and is one of the best new films I've seen for a long, long time.
It's another neo-realist, social commentary film from Barnard it but has lots of themes such as passing on cultural traditions from one generation to the next. Made me laugh and made me cry. The subtext and symbols are examples of such good filmmaking (the refurbished chair, getting rid of the old boots, learning to like folk music, learning to climb down the frame on your own, being at the cemetery - these will make sense to those who have seen the film). Loach, Arnold and even de Sica, and Rosselini are influenced here. I absolutely loved this film. 9/10.