User reviews

Thanks to Ava I don't wanna have kids. Well acted but the en falls flat

Ava (V) (2017) is an Iranian/Canadian film written and directed by Sadaf Foroughi .

The movie stars Mahour Jabbari in the title role. The plot is said to be based on the adolescent life of the director.

By now (sadly) we are accustomed to films in which cultural and religious norms rigidly restrict the freedom of young people, especially young women.

Ava is such a film, but it stands out for two reasons. The first is the excellent talent of the director. Foroughi makes the frustrations of the young protagonist almost palpable.

The second reason is the immense talent with which Mahour Jabbari portrays the protagonist. Ava has a mind and will of her own, and she does her best to carry out her life in a way that will give her satisfaction. Of course, every way she turns she is stymied.

We saw the Rochester premiere of Ava at the wonderful Dryden Theatre of the George Eastman Museum. It will work well on the small screen.

This movie has an anemic IMDb rating of 6.7. This is a case where I say, "Did they see the same film that I saw?" It's a truly great film. Try to find it and see it.

P.S. In a real-life parallel to the film, Mahour Jabbari was denied a visa to attend the world premiere of Ava in Toronto. Apparently, some of the xenophobia we now have in the U.S. has spread to Canada. Is the Canadian government truly afraid of a young Iranian woman actor? That's pathetic.

I watched this movie in TIFF. From the movies this type, I expected more. But I cannot hide my enthusiasm from watching it as the first experience of its director. The topic which was used was really interesting and had a great potential to work. However, the characters (except for the leading actress teenager) were not as established as it should be. Mostly the father was totally lost. There were lots of contravention in the character's behavior. Moreover, the story had few points, out of the best logic. Out of everywhere everybody knows what is happening and it seems that all the characters are watching the movie before the next scene. Well. sometimes the story reveals where and when. But I have not been convinced for every situation. Furthermore, I did not like the way the story goes. It was a brilliant idea which was somehow wasted in the story. About the technical aspects, I like the acting of Ava, his father, somehow the other kids except for Nima. The actress for Ava had awesome mimics in various scenery and situations and I really liked her despite of her minor technical issues. On the other hand I did not connect with the mother, music teacher, Aunt and Nima. I also have a mixed feelings about the school manager. Sometimes she was exaggerated and sometimes she was really good. The cinematography of the movie was somehow the weakest point of this movie. I do not know if the frames are modified for the screening or not. But the compositions were not good and in some cases were counted as very poor. High head rooms in some cases and poor framing during the action of multiple actors could be seen easily. The focusing were sharp but not changing where it should. About picture, there were few more issues/weaknesses which were involved with the directing responsibilities. The most disturbing part was the fixed deep blur of the picture in key scenes. I can see the rationality behind that. But it was ugly. They were long and frequent. I did not like the camera movements as well. It was not as flexible as it should be. Decoupage was also a major issue in multiple actors scene. Specifically when the actors were moving. The aunt's scene was one of them. Use of focus in the mirror was also lost. The edit of this movie needs a huge improvement. I do not know about what they take on the scene. But the long still camera, various number of low-pace scenes and overall boring moments happened frequently was due to this issue. I liked the custom design overall. But the awkward moments are the dress and scarf at home. Why should two women dress like that at home? Why should a young girl wear loose pants at home (melody)? However, despite of the mentioned issues, the director was so brave to touch this project with a low number of staff and lots of young actors and actress and it seems that it was a good experience for her to run a movie. I feel it was an acceptable starting point for a young director. But she absolutely needs more consultations and critics.