Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Ava From My Class pushes you to wonder where the line between admiration and a crush is for its young lead.
| Director(s) | Youmin Kang |
| Screenplay By | Youmin Kang, Soomin Kang |
| Date Released (Sundance Film Festival) | 1/28/2021 |
| Genre(s) | Drama, Young Adult, LGBT |
| Duration | 11 Minutes |
| Rating | Not Rated |
| Noted Cast | |
| Anna | Bae Bonalle |
| Ava | Rowan Cooper |
This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text may contain affiliate links, which, if a purchase is made, we’ll earn money or products from the company.
Film Summary
Anna is quiet, reserved, yet still goes to an acting class in New York City. Why? Well, perhaps Ava. Now, who is Ava? Well, she is a girl in Anna’s class who Anna thinks is the best out of everyone, and often Anna can’t help but stare. Leaving you to wonder, is it just Anna being awestruck or maybe a crush?
Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Reason(s) for Film Rating: There is really nothing to raise any red flags. Even with the possibility of Anna having a crush on Ava, it’s left up to interpretation.
- Jump Scares/ Laughs/ Tear-Jerking Moments: N/A
Cast & Characters
Please Note: This is not an exhaustive list of every cast member.
Anna
Reserved and perhaps not the most popular kid in her acting class, Anna seems to enjoy watching others act more than do so herself. But her favorite is Ava.
Ava
Ava is rather popular in her acting class due to always being prepared and being a fun scene partner.
Review
Highlights
The Question of Whether Anna Admires Ava Or Has A Crush On Her
As you see more and more mainstream entertainers, at, around, or younger than 18 come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community, even on the Disney Channel (Andi Mack), so comes the question of where the line is? Specifically for Ava From My Class, at what point are you giving someone a label, thus defining them on your terms, or letting them define themselves? That is what comes to mind as you watch Anna dumbfounded by Ava.
And maybe I’m thinking something is there when it is not, but it’s the innocence of how Anna looks at Ava, all the signs you are used to when it is a boy and a girl, which push you to realize we might enter a new era. An era in which, while the world is still compulsively heteronormative, as the years and generations go on, it might be less so. In fact, soon it might be, until the desire for friendship is confirmed, anyone liking anyone could be seen as a crush. Whether they are 8, 27, 52, or 80. This perhaps is the next marker to proving members of the LGBT+ community aren’t merely tolerated but accepted and loved, no matter what their age or where they might be on their journey.
Overall
Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended
I’m not going to lie, there is some hesitation to put the LGBT tag on this, but I think one of the challenges Ava From My Class presents is, how comfortable are you with the idea kids as young as Anna can potentially be queer? Especially as the world has normalized not just adults, but increasingly kids, breaking away from thinking someone of the opposite sex is the only option you can have a crush on? Hence the positive label and recommendation. Ava From My Class pushes you to think, potentially makes you uncomfortable, but also presents a rather cute story that can be seen as one girl trying to process her crush on another.
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