Ava is a 2017 French drama film directed by Léa Mysius in her feature-length directorial debut. It was screened in the Critics' Week section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2] At Cannes, it won the SACD Award.[3]
| Ava | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Léa Mysius |
| Written by | Léa Mysius |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Noée Abita Laure Calamy Juan Cano |
| Cinematography | Paul Guilhaume |
| Edited by | Pierre Deschamps |
| Music by | Florencia Di Concilio |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | BAC Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Plot
editAva is an unhappy 13-year-old, who is losing her sight from Retinitis Pigmentosa – a genetic condition which leads to her losing her night sight, then her peripheral vision, followed by total blindness. She is determined to live life to the full while she can see, exploring her approaching blindness and her constant nightmares which keep her awake at night.
She is attracted to an 18-year-old, Juan and his dog, who she names Lupo. Juan is a traveler in love with Jessica, over whom he fights but is stabbed. Ava comes across the wounded Juan, helping him to recover. Once he is better, they embark on a spree of robberies at the beach, helping Ava to cope with her sadness. This, and the fact that Juan is having sex with Ava, gets Juan into trouble with the police.
They escape from the police and Ava offers to help Juan recover his car keys and papers from his caravan so they can run away together. Ava joins Jessica's wedding on the traveler site to wait tables, then slips away when the cake is served. She finds Juan's wallet and driving license but can't find his car keys.
The police raid the wedding so that Juan and Ava are forced to run away without his car. While they are walking away, Jessica appears to give Juan his car, leaving her veil with Ava as a token of her love and support for the couple.
Cast
edit- Noée Abita as Ava
- Laure Calamy as Maud, Ava's mother
- Juan Cano as Juan
- Tamara Cano as Jessica
- Daouda Diakhate as Tété
- Baptiste Archimbaud as Matthias
- Franck Beckmann as the ophthalmologist
- Carmen Gimenez as Carmen
- Valentine Cadic as Wedding waitress
- Ismaël Capelot
Production
editIn a dreamy scene, Laure Calamy appears on a counter with her legs spread. It was the actress herself who suggested to director Léa Mysius that "we see a little more than the pubic hair, that the vulva is shown."[4]
Reception
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2022) |
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Selection of the 56th Critics' Week". Semaine de la Critique. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- ^ "56th Critics' Week Press Kit" (PDF). Semaine de la Critique. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (25 May 2017). "'Makala,' 'Gabriel and the Mountain' Scoop Cannes' Critics' Week Awards". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
- ^ "Rencontre tout en corps avec Laure Calamy". www.troiscouleurs.fr. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
- ^ "Ava". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 January 2024.