Why we picked it – We try to find a love story for the date closest to St. Valentine’s Day.

Synopsis – Ali and Ava are both kind-hearted people, and both lonely but for different reasons. A chance meeting in the rain (this is Bradford) begins an unlikely romance despite their very different tastes in music. Over a lunar month, their connection grows, despite the legacies of Ava’s past relationship, and Ali’s emotional turmoil at the breakdown of his marriage. Each is a catalyst for change in the other’s life.

The film– Brief Encounter or Romeo and Juliet in current day gritty West Yorkshire. Two excellent lead performances. In the interviews below, Clio Barnard describes how she put the story – “a social realism musical” – together with the actors and the two real people who were the original inspiration. The film drifts slightly into Richard Curtis land at one point, but it is a truthful portrayal of multi-ethnic Bradford and white deprived working class angst.

Links – imdb Guardian review Financial Times review

Director/Writer – Clio Barnard; Cinematography: Ole Bratt Bikeland UK 2021, 95 mins, 15