Aya

'AYA': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A 40 minute French-Israeli short film; which was nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Live Action Short Film, at the upcoming 87th Academy Awards. The film tells the story of two strangers, that meet at an airport, where one mistakes the other for his driver and the other does not immediately correct his mistake. It was directed by Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis and written by Binnun, Brezis and Tom Shoval. The film stars Sarah Adler and Ulrich Thomsen, as the two strangers. I think it's the best of the 2015 live action short film Oscar nominees!

The short begins at an airport, in Israel, where a woman, named Aya (Adler), waits for her friend to get off a plane. A professional driver, waiting to pick up his passenger, asks Aya to hold his sign for him, as he leaves for a couple of minutes. The sign is for a man named Mr. Overby (Thomsen). When Mr. Overby spots Aya holding the sign, he of course thinks she's his assigned driver and she impulsively doesn't correct him. She then proceeds to drive him to Jerusalem, for a piano competition. The two get to know each other, a little, along the way.

I really enjoyed how unexpected the short is. I also found it's commentary on life, and the relationships we form with others (specifically strangers), very moving. The contrast between Aya's joy in doing things randomly, and living through impulsive decisions, to Mr. Overby's obsession with routine, is really fascinating and involving. The cinematography is beautiful and the performances are both excellent. I found it to be the most interesting, and entertaining, of all the Oscar nominated shorts this year, through it's entirety. I could also really relate to both characters, especially Aya; who I most would like to be like (in my life).

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The publicity for AYA makes much of the fact that the film, although shown theatrically as a feature, is only forty minutes long. And the publicity does well to make noise about that, because you don't want people indignantly surprised when the ending comes at what would normally be the halfway mark on your wristwatch. The claim is that structurally the movie is complete as is, and that its quality is sufficient reward for a trip to the movie house even without some short co-feature to fill out the time. I find the first half of the claim pretty credible, because the movie is about a new and tentative acquaintanceship that would only be overburdened by any additional adventures, coincidences, or revelations. As for the second half of the claim-- I think I wouldn't have minded seeing another short film before going home.

I saw this on Kanopy. It's short and entertaining.

Much of it takes place inside a moving car driven by an Israeli woman and next to him a Danish guy. Both are well educated and intelligent. It constantly bothered the heck out of me that neither of them wearing a seat belt. Now I've been to Israel many times and I know how they drive there, so I could digest that the driver had no seat belt but, for G.d's sake, a Danish music researcher without a seat belt? No way! I just don't get it.

Apart from this, I didn't regret spending more than half an hour watching what the outcome will be and I wasn't disappointed.

P.S. The film reminded me of the joke that all drivers in Israel are excellent (because the bad ones are all dead).

"Aya" is a film set in Israel and is a strange sort of story about a woman who is waiting for someone at the airport. Oddly, however, when a man is looking for his driver to take him to a piano competition, she impulsively decides to pretend to be his driver and take him on the long drive from the airport in Tel Aviv to his hotel in Jerusalem. Exactly why she does this isn't really clear and they set off on this road trip across the country. The story is mildly interesting, though I kept waiting for that moment when everything would make sense or have a pay-off to make the film seem Oscar-worthy. However, this is not to say the film is bad, however. I really, really loved the cinematography and still wonder how they were able to film a few of the scenes. In particular, it's tough to film folks inside a car because there is so little room for a camera. So, they often do tricks like removing mirrors and windshields when you watch these scenes on TV or in films. And, usually the car is actually being towed--no one is really driving. Yet, there are a few shots that reveal that none of these tricks are happening at times. In fact, if anyone can tell me HOW they did all this, I would love to know, as in one case the camera is inside the car and then goes outside and around it--all in what looks like one take. Overall, this is a decent film with great camera-work but not much more.

At thirty-nine minutes, Aya is by far the longest of the 2015 Oscar nominated live action short films, and alongside The Phone Call, it's the best, as it focuses on an unlikely friendship that develops over complete and total chance. We focus on Aya (Sarah Adler), who is awaiting the arrival of her friend at the airport. We see a gaggle of drivers, holding signs and awaiting the arrival of their own passengers who they need to escort to their appropriate destination. When one driver has to move his car, he momentarily bears the responsibility of seeking out his particular client on another driver, who needs to take off and get his own client where he needs to be. Aya, the first person the perplexed driver sees, hands the extra sign to her, and sure enough, the client, named Mr. Overby (Ulrich Thomson), shows up and expects a ride.

Aya impulsively ditches her friend before her arrival to take Mr. Overby where he needs to be. It's not his fault that the other driver was incompetent, we believe is Aya's rationale to doing what she is doing, but through a conversation between the two about following orders do we get a sense of Aya as a person. While Mr. Overby believes in never following ones' heart and that we as human beings should be rational when it comes to our decision making, Aya is more impulsive and wayward, not quite understanding what she is doing at all times (like now) but feels a nudge to do what seems right in a momentary sense.

Aya is a beautiful short film because it understands the beauty of character and character motivations, confining two individuals, who should've never met each other in the first place, to a small space (a vehicle) for an extended period of time, as they embark on a peculiar destination and enjoy the company of one another along the way. Directors Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis understand that it's possible for Aya not to know why she does what she does, but to focus on her selfless behavior and her embracement of all that is impulsive is a delightfully original concept explored to great effect here, given such a short runtime. Aya works because it's not only emotionally honest, but rich and full in the sense of character exploration.

Starring: Sarah Adler and Ulrich Thomson. Directed by: Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis.