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Ava (Noée Abita) is a girl of 13 years of age, who has just learned that her sight is failing. Sure, this happens to all of us, but not at that age, and it’s happening rapidly. It could be just a matter of two weeks before she’s unable to see properly in low light, if at all.
Hence, she and her mother, Maud (Laure Calamy) have got the next two weeks together, to spend as much time over the summer with each other as possible… in Maud’s imagination, since teenagers being teengers, she wants to go her own sweet way, and steals the Alsatian belonging to young drifter, Juan (Juan Cano, above with Abita), a dog who, somehow doesn’t even react to being stolen, when surely any dog would do if separated from their owner.
Along the way, she tries to learn to adapt to partial blindness before the inevitable happens but, at the age of just 13, she’s also just discovered boys, so there’s so much on her mind, and all the same time. Add in some nightmares for Ava as she tries to adjust, and while I know life isn’t one linear set of tales and actions, Ava, as a story, comes across a bit disconnected, since there’s far too much going on, and it’s difficult to get a handle on it, exactly.
This is a shame since I really wanted to like this more after seeing the trailer, as it looked fantastic, but when an entire film is seen in context, it can feel an entirely different story.
A couple of observations: there’s a lot of nudity in this film (Ms Abita, who puts on a good performance, here, was 18 at the time of filming, before you start panicking), but while I don’t want to appear ageist, we could’ve done without so many damn pensioners on the beach!
Also, at one point, her mother sniffs her own armpit and observes, “I stink! Time for a shower”. No, that’s because you’re a smoker 😉
Ava is released exclusively to Mubi this Friday, December 22nd, and if you’re on Amazon Prime, they have a 7-day free trial!
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 102 minutes
Studio: Bac Films
Year: 2017
Format: 1.85:1 (35mm)
Released: December 22nd 2017
Rating: 4/10
Director: Léa Mysius
Producers: Jean-Louis Livi and Fanny Yvonnet
Screenplay: Léa Mysius and Paul Guilhaume
Music: Florencia Di Concilio
Cast:
Ava: Noée Abita
Maud: Laure Calamy
Juan: Juan Cano
Jessica: Tamara Cano
Carmen: Carmen Gimenez
La policière à cheval: Mary Lefèvre
Le policier à cheval: Vincent Grousset
Le moniteur: Paul Meulins
Inès: Mila Cheuzzi
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.