‘Showing a woman my age and who looks like me, finding joy – that was beautiful’
As Clio Barnard’s new release Ali & Ava arrives in cinemas, Danielle de Wolfe learns more from the director, alongside star Claire Rushbrook
If ever you needed proof that a cinema release need not involve a swathe of international locations and a multi-million pound budget in order to succeed, Ali & Ava is just that.
It is a film that instead chooses to rely upon the unparalleled relatability of love. Not the sugar-coated Hollywood kind, mind you. This tale of love is distinctive, tender and wholeheartedly British, illustrating that joy can be found in even the most improbable of circumstances.
It is the raw material director Clio Barnard thrives off.
Developed from the stories she amassed while shooting the Bafta-nominated The Arbor, alongside her 2013 release The Selfish Giant, Ali & Ava invites us behind closed doors, observing a simmering bond that develops between two Brandford residents living contrasting lives.
“What would happen if you took melodrama as a genre and applied it to a social realist version of Bradford that’s based on real people?” poses Barnard, reflecting on the premise of her latest release.
“It is a project she describes as an opportunity to understand the true meaning of “community”.
Set against a backdrop of social and economic uncertainty, the Leeds-born director says a “growing sense of common social and moral purpose” lays the foundations for the film’s release.
“Ava and Ali are both born in Britain. Their parents came to the UK from Ireland and Pakistan respectively, which were both once parts of the British Empire,” says Barnard.
“There was violence and racism within Ava’s immediate family. There’s an analogy to be drawn there between Ava’s personal history and our national history, a need to address the impact and legacy of the violence of British rule.”
A working class tale depict
ing the practicalities of romance in the West Yorkshire city, Barnard crafted Ali & Ava in conjunction with Bradford-based writer Kamal Kaan. Shot over the course of six weeks, it is a story Kaan says reflects his “positive experience of the city”, in turn “countering the misrepresentation of Bradford” which the writer says is often portrayed as “divided, impoverished and post-industrial”.
Starring Claire Rushbrook (Whitechapel, My Mad Fat Diary) as Ava, a widowed classroom assistant who unexpectedly forms a bond with local landlord Ali, played by Adeel Akhtar (Four Lions, Big Sick), Ali and Ava’s journey is one guided by music.
Not in the traditional soundtrack sense – Ali is a frustrated DJ, whose passion for music guides audiences through this modern-day romance.
Bob Dylan’s hit Mama You Been On My Mind makes regular appearances throughout, while a mixture of electro, rap and 80s rock from the likes of The Specials, Buzzcocks and Sylvan Esso permeates this tale.
Humorous in nature and with a childlike zest for life, Ali’s carefree attitude comes as a breath of fresh air to separated mother Ava whose love of folk music stands in contrast to Ali’s distinct personal tastes.
Reflecting on “shared moments of vulnerability” between her and Adeel’s characters, brief encounters that only take place behind closed doors, Rushbrook says the story is a “delight” to be a part of, describing the film as “a very real, quiet, honest depiction of two ordinary people just happening to find each other.”
In spite of his playful nature, it is clear Ali is concerned about judgement and tradition.
Continuing to live at home with his wife despite the collapse of their marriage, the pair continue to keep up appearances, dining with their wider families in a state of sedentary domesticity.
All the while Ava continues to play a central role within the community.
Crossing paths with Ali intermittently, she finds herself confronted by her son Callum’s (Shaun Thomas) bully-like tendencies, traits inherited from her late husband, when he suspects the pair have more than friendship on their minds.
“I think the first thing that really resonated with me was the chance to play a woman my age, who had a complex character, a complex history, and to explore the joy of a love story,” says Rushbrook, 50.
“Showing a woman my age and who looks like me, finding joy – to read a script like that was beautiful. So I was really delighted to have the chance to be involved.”
It is a project that follows on from Barnard’s 2017 release Dark River starring Sean Bean, continuing her exploration of the North on-screen, albeit in choosing to focus on love and hope over trauma and abuse.
A film that initially appears to be based upon a simplistic premise, slow-burning mutual attraction, Ali & Ava’s strength lies in its ability to transform everyday domestic scenarios into touching, private moments.
“There are few big dramatic moments, and certainly no cliches,” says Rushbrook of the project.
“Reading the script, you could see that there was the room and the space and the pauses for the relationships to really shine.”
It is a subject that leads Rushbrook to reflect on the preconceived ideas of romance she herself held early in life.
Noting Ali & Ava is an opportunity to show that love can flourish in all manner of situations, the actress says the film illustrates that love need not have an age limit.
“I remember being younger and having the misguided notion that first of all, older people aren’t attracted to each other, let alone having sex,” says Rushbrook.
“But also, stories about that demographic would be cosy, rose tinted, and focus on just holding hands on park benches. And of course, now I’m that age, I know. I know the reality.
“And I see around me; just ordinary people who all have, I’m sure, an extraordinary story in them.”