Aviva also touches upon our pursuit of an ideal, even when it comes to lovemaking, beautifully emphasized in a scene where Aviva urges Eden to come back to reality during sex. “You’re taking pictures of things that turn you on, [to] fit into some preprogrammed sequence of triggers you’re used to responding to,” she accuses him. “Making a pornographic movie in your head and playing it, even when I’m right here.”
“Love it or hate it, it’s… well, it’s art.”
There are many such poignant moments throughout the film. Take the lyrical sequences of our heroes half-walking, half-dancing down streets to a spine-tingling score (Yakin’s taste in music is impeccable, as evidenced by this feature). The Anatomy of a Kiss tangent, tracing our heroes’ sexual upbringing, will resonate among many lovelorn hearts. A bar sequence, wherein characters break into a choreographed dance routine, is executed to perfection. There’s enormous comic relief to be found in the musical set-piece involving prepubescent gangster wannabes. And it all ends on an effervescent note in an emerald-green park.
Aviva is a palindrome, reflecting the film’s ouroboros-like narrative. It’s also a Hebrew name, which translates as “spring-like” or “fresh”–both adjectives applicable to the sensual and passionate Aviva. Love it or hate it, it’s… well, it’s art. I loved it, warts and all. Perhaps Yakin has finally discovered his style.
"…Aviva is a palindrome, reflecting the film's ouroboros-like narrative"
