Reel Movie Mondays: Fall 2022

Ali & Ava

Directed by Clio Barnard | UK | 95 mins | English, Game Theory | Rated 14A

A bundle of good humour and nervous energy, Ali (Adeel Akhtar) is a British Pakistani working-class landlord who forges close bonds with his tenants.

One day, while picking up one of his tenants’ children from school, he offers a lift to Ava (Claire Rushbrook), an Irish-born teacher and single mother of five. They bond almost instantly through their love of music, though Ali favours the high energy of Buzzcocks and hip-hop while Ava takes refuge in the quieter comforts of Bob Dylan and Karen Dalton. Despite their divergent backgrounds, differences in their stages of life, and the colour of their skin, despite the fact of Ali’s failing marriage and Ava’s fraught relationship with her adult and adolescent children, each finds themself irresistibly drawn to the other. But can their mutual desire transcend a barrage of personal obstacles?

Advance ticket sales are available until 4:30 pm on film nights. “At the door” tickets can be purchased (pending availability) from 6-6:30 pm in the lobby of Carnival Cinemas ($12 each – no member/student rates or coupons).