Thanks to Cineworld we got a chance to preview the new release of Ali & Ava at the Cineworld Unlimited Screening last night, the new movie stars Adeel Akhtar (Four Lions) and Claire Rushbrook (Spider-Man: Far From Home).
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.?
Ali & Ava is one of those movies that had me intrigued from the first time I saw the trailer a few months back and I’ve been waiting to see the release in the cinema, so thanks to Cineworld last night we were treated to the screening of Clio Barnard’s delightful and thought-provoking movie of love through the stresses and struggles of life.
This is a movie that has two superb leads with Akhtar and Rushford as they meet each other at the school that Ava (Rushford) works at. Both Ali (Akhtar) & Ava have their own past to deal with and as the story progresses we learn the difficulties that both of them have to cope with.
Ali is now separated from his wife after a tragic loss, but they still live together to try and hide the truth from his parents, making life that much awkward for him as each day he tries to hide what is going on behind closed doors.
Ava has problems of her own as well, after her husband dies she looks after the children and her baby grandchild for her eldest son and his girlfriend, she is still hoping that one day she can carry on with her life, but she just doesn’t think it will happen.
Once Ali & Ava meet the relationship starts to build from friends to something else and this in turn also causes many challenges for the pair and their forbidden affair, but along the way, there are many laughs and moments that set them on a path that they deserve.
Ali & Ava is a wonderful story set in Yorkshire, Clio Barnard has not only written a wonderful love story but has also directed a movie that looks great, I loved the cast in the movie with Ahktar and Rushford stealing the scenes that they are in, both together and separately.
Adeel Ahktar has some fantastic moments and melts your heart with his portrayal of Ali, the moments when he discovers that he is starting to have feelings for Ava is great as you see the change in his character.
I loved Claire Rushford as Ava, she was a joy to watch on the big screen and again her change in character as they fall for each other is great, there are some really lovely tender moments between the two and there are some great comedic moments from them both that had me laughing our rather loudly as well.
One thing that I can’t forget to mention in the movie is the soundtrack, there are some serious dance tunes that kick up the bass in the cinema, mainly when Ali has his headphones on, I found myself constantly tapping my feet to the phat beats, then we have a complete turn around with the conventional music and folk, which works brilliantly for the overall feel and soundtrack for Ali & Ava.
It’s so lovely to see more movies such as this hitting the big screens these days, after what seems like an onslaught of action, sci-fi and horror it’s wonderful to get some down to earth movies that pull you in to the real world and bring a smile to your face.
Ali & Ava is in cinemas from the 4th March.
A story of a forbidden affair
Movie title: Ali & Ava
Movie description: ALI and AVA, both lonely for different reasons, meet and sparks fly. Over a lunar month, a deep connection begins to grow, despite the legacy of AVA's past relationship, and ALI's emotional turmoil at the breakdown of his marriage.
Date published: February 23, 2022
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 35m
Director(s): Clio Barnard
Actor(s): Adeel Akhtar, Claire Rushbrook, Ellora Torchia
Genre: Drama
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
