Ordinary People

A Brief Commentary on Clio Barnard’s film, “ALI AND AVA”
John Bennison, Mountain Shadow Director

“When you wake up in the mornin’, baby, look inside your mirror
You know I won’t be next to you,
you know I won’t be near
I’d just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear
As someone who has had you on his mind.”
Singer / songwriter Bob Dylan

Cinema has always presented us with a medium in which we’re presented with two divergent paths. One takes us briefly down a road of fleeting fantasy; imagining a world of glamor, stardom and, well, unreality. Such momentary escapism can be entertaining, of course; before leaving the theater and returning to our day-to-day lives.

The other path takes us inward and is more reflective; like a mirror that invites us to pause and recognize the familiarity with our own life stories most-genuinely reflected in the characters onscreen. These actors assume roles that portray a cast of the most ordinary kinds of people; dealing with everyday issues that are common place.

“Ali and Ava” is a simple story of two ordinary people; living in a modern-day, post-industrial, post-Brexit town in West Yorkshire, England. While names and places may be different from our own, the toils and troubles depicted in this plotline can be eerily reminiscent of some of our own life chapters.

Two people from quite divergent cultural and ethnic backgrounds find themselves irretrievably drawn to each other nonetheless. It’s a love story that’s distinctly different than the kind of insipid rom-com often splashed across the silver screen. Simply enjoy it for what it has to share.

A final note: You might wonder about two very different songs that are woven into this cinematic tale. One is Bob Dylan’s quite forgettable tune from 1964, “Mama, you’ve been on my mind.” The other is the haunting Irish ballad, “Grace.” A mournful love song, Grace was the name of the woman who married Joseph Plunkett, a leader of the Irish revolution who was executed by firing squad in 1916.

“Oh Grace, just hold me in your arms
and let this moment linger
They’ll take me out at dawn and I will die
With all my love, I place this wedding ring upon your finger
There won’t be time to share our love
for we must say goodbye.”
Composed by Frank and Seán O’Meara