Ava

Ava (2017) is a French coming-of-age drama directed by Léa Mysius — watch it online on iFILM. Thirteen-year-old Ava is spending the summer on the Atlantic coast when doctors tell her the blindness she knew was coming will arrive sooner than planned. Her mother's response is to act normal, plan the perfect holiday, and say nothing.

Ava responds by stealing a black dog from a young man who's already running from trouble of his own. It's an impulsive act that pulls her into something rawer and more alive than any summer her mother scripted. Noée Abita carries nearly every scene on her face — there's almost no dialogue explaining what Ava feels because Mysius trusts the camera to do it.

The film is about running toward experience when you know time is short. Quiet, unhurried, and precise where other films about illness tend to be sentimental. Stream Ava (2017) online on iFILM.