Ali & Ava
Ali & Ava is a 2021 British romantic drama film written and directed by Clio Barnard, starring Adeel Akhtar as Ali, a Pakistani-origin landlord, and Claire Rushbrook as Ava, an Irish-descended teaching assistant and care worker.[1][2] Set in Bradford, West Yorkshire, the film depicts the evolving relationship between the two protagonists, who connect through their care for a young child named Sofia amid personal loneliness and familial opposition influenced by cultural and racial differences.[2][1] Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight in July 2021, it received a limited theatrical release in the United Kingdom in March 2022 and in the United States in July 2022.[3][4] Barnard's work, produced by BBC Films and others, exemplifies British social realism, exploring themes of interracial love, class, and community in a post-industrial northern English town.[5][6] The film garnered critical praise for its performances and direction, earning a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 89 reviews, with acclaim for its authentic portrayal of working-class lives and emotional depth.[2] It received BAFTA nominations for Outstanding British Film and Leading Actor for Akhtar, as well as multiple British Independent Film Award nominations including Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best British Independent Film.[7][8]Plot
Summary
Sparks fly between Ali, a gregarious British-Pakistani landlord in Bradford managing properties for his family, and Ava, a warm-hearted Irish-descended teaching assistant recently widowed after an abusive marriage, as they bond over their mutual affection for Sofia, the young daughter of Ali's Slovakian immigrant tenants whom Ava supports at school.[9][5] Both characters grapple with isolation—Ava from her large, chaotic extended family marked by domestic violence and addiction, and Ali from unspoken personal reservations about commitment—yet their chance encounters evolve into tentative dates filled with music, dancing, and shared vulnerabilities over the span of a lunar month.[10][6] The narrative unfolds in a working-class multicultural neighborhood, highlighting everyday rituals like school pickups and community interactions that foster their deepening emotional intimacy despite external pressures from family expectations and cultural differences.[11][12] As their relationship progresses, underlying tensions surface, including Ava's lingering trauma and Ali's internal conflicts, testing the viability of their unlikely union in a gritty social-realist framework infused with folk and country music cues.[5][9]Cast and characters
Principal cast
The principal roles in Ali & Ava are played by Adeel Akhtar as Ali, a Pakistani-British landlord navigating personal isolation, and Claire Rushbrook as Ava, a white British caregiver dealing with family responsibilities.[13][2] Akhtar, known for prior roles in The Big Sick and Sweet Tooth, delivers a performance noted for its emotional restraint, while Rushbrook, with credits in Secrets & Lies and The Worst Week of My Life, brings depth to Ava's resilience.[1][6] Supporting principal cast includes Ellora Torchia as Runa, Ali's estranged wife; Shaun Thomas as Callum, Ava's son; and Macy Shackleton as Venice, Ava's granddaughter.[13][14] These actors contribute to the film's focus on familial and relational tensions in a Bradford setting.| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Adeel Akhtar | Ali |
| Claire Rushbrook | Ava |
| Ellora Torchia | Runa |
| Shaun Thomas | Callum |
| Macy Shackleton | Venice |