In Clio Barnard's realist Bradford-set drama, love between a Bengali-British property owner and an older classroom assistant is complicated, but powerful.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 19, 2024

Ali & Ava might feel thematically slight, but this comforting drama warms the heart and soul with its central romantic relationship.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 18, 2024

This middle-aged love story gives a fresh perspective on loneliness.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 28, 2023

The film manages to convey the state of loneliness of the characters, without falling into melodrama, while we feel how the pain penetrates our skin. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: B+ | Oct 6, 2022

Sweet story about two quite different people who connect through music.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Sep 29, 2022

This is the kind of socio-political work that many attempt, but often becomes too dulled in miserabilism. But "Ali and Ava" sees these people and through its eyes we see them too, with sincerity that resists cloyingness, simplification, or condescension.

| Sep 23, 2022

Awards starring roles to Claire Rushbrook and Adeel Akhtar, two magnificent interpreters who are usually limited to supporting roles. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 26, 2022

Ali & Ava is a film that stands out for its light, elegance and evanescence. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 24, 2022

Barnard has made an ode to the beauty of messy, imperfect lives and their ability to converge at improbably perfect moments. Maybe it ends a beat too soon, but then so do some of your favorite songs.

| Aug 4, 2022

Writer/director Clio Barnard tries to tackle a bit more than the simple and generally sweet story of Ali & Ava allows.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 4, 2022

What’s most satisfying about the movie is getting to know Ali and Ava separately. They’re endowed with warmth, depth and believability by Akhtar and Rushbrook, veteran supporting actors who are rarely cast in leading roles.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 2, 2022

Ali & Ava moves with the naturalistic unpredictability of real life.

| Aug 1, 2022

Barnard doesn’t rush the story or its characters, apparently based on people she met while making her other films in the area. But she does display a wonderful economy of language, her dialogue suggesting a practical, unsentimental view of life.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 29, 2022

In its understated way, the movie is a celebration of the miracle of connection.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 29, 2022

The familiar idea of lost souls finding one another is given a fresh twist in this intimate working-class British drama layered with tenderness and compassion.

| Jul 29, 2022

It’s not clear sailing but Barnard’s gentle depiction of [Ali & Ava] together is optimistic and beautifully realistic. And kudos for both performances.

| Jul 29, 2022

Its two protagonists initially seem like unlikely leads, but they embody a grounded emotional warmth that feels genuine.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 29, 2022

Less a drama and more of an unconventional romantic comedy, Barnard doesn’t always fill in the blanks in her narrative. But Rushbrook provides her character with plenty of warmth while Akhtar indulges in humor.

| Jul 28, 2022

There's no doubt that what contributes most to the success of "Ali & Ava" are the two central turns that breathe so much authenticity into this piece.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 28, 2022

This understated indie film clings uncomfortably to the surface of their relationship, yet still delivers something pure, melodic and precise.

| Jul 28, 2022