Ava
Grasshopper Film | Release Date: April 27, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
79
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
0
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJul 12, 2018
In watching Ava, a visually inviting and sharp portrait of teenage life in Iran, one must admire how writer-director Sadaf Foroughi was able to play her own tune in life. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisApr 26, 2018
Lurching relentlessly from one conflict to another, the movie distills its emotions — and maintains its momentum — in conversations of remarkably controlled intensity. Read full review
90
Village VoiceDanny KingApr 25, 2018
Foroughi’s movie surveys how the mounting external pressures in Ava’s life bring her to a near-breaking point, and the director has devised (with the cinematographer, Sina Kermanizadeh) an explosive visual grammar to approximate the depths of Ava’s isolation and pain. Read full review
83
The PlaylistLena WilsonMay 6, 2018
This is one of the most thoughtful films about the female experience to debut in recent years, and should be mandatory viewing for anyone eager to engage with confidently-made, skillful art cinema. Read full review
83
IndieWireKate ErblandApr 27, 2018
It’s gut-punch cinema, uneasy and unpredictable, though Foroughi keeps it clicking right along into the rare open ending that feels earned. Read full review
80
CineVueChristopher MachellSep 1, 2022
Ava is a singular vision marking Foroughi as a talent to watch. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 1, 2022
Ava is made with superb technique and real style. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeSep 1, 2022
The 0-60 acceleration of disaster and melodrama is a little disconcerting, as is the tendency to self-sabotage demonstrated by Ava and her mother. But there’s a jagged emotional authenticity scored into the film like initials carved into a desk. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorSep 1, 2022
The film's bitter exposé of life under a theocracy is unforgettable Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comTomris LafflyApr 27, 2018
A contemporary, gradually darkening coming-of-age tale of an Iranian teenage girl in Tehran, feel so familiar that universal is the only apt way to characterize them. Read full review
75
The Film StageLeonardo GoiApr 26, 2018
Foroughi’s assured debut remains a welcomed and insightful reminder that the patriarchy Ava struggles against is still alive and kicking. Stories like hers will hardly ever grow old. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungSep 1, 2022
Ava’s rebellion is against more than her parents’ mistrust; it’s about the cage of societal norms in Iran that stifles female creativity and self-expression. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineJake ColeMar 28, 2018
The film's constant cruelty is so inescapable that it starts to feel unfair not only to the protagonist, but to Iran itself. Read full review
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