Plenty has been written on this film concerning the nudity of the young actress-- Noee Abita as the title character, Ava --but I'd like to focus on the merits of this film, after which I'll talk a little about the notoriety.

Competent cinematography-- very nice shots of the beaches and blue ocean waters of the Bay of Biscay along the Atlantic, southwestern French coast. This is a bit different than what I think most viewers of French films are used to seeing, as it seems, in stories taking place along the French coast, the Mediterranean is favored first, followed by the English Channel. I'm not aware of many French films taking place on the western, Bay of Biscay coastline, which is a shame. Again, very beautiful ocean vistas here.

Good soundtrack-- that catchy song you hear at the beginning and end of the film is called "Sabali" by Amadou & Mariam, a group from Mali. You can watch and listen to the song for free on Youtube. The score and sound throughout the film is good, and the director-- Lea Mysius --knows when to use supporting music, and when to go without it in certain scenes.

Good story-- Ava is afflicted with pigmentary retinopathy, and will go blind soon (although from online research, total blindness from this condition is uncommon). Noee Abita does a good job playing a sulky teenager to her hapless mother, Maud (played by Laure Calamy), which I think anyone could relate to across Western culture. Of course, Ava's sulkiness is intensified by her diagnosis. There is, in parallel to this story, Ava realizing her blooming sexuality and her increased interest in boys. This is where the nudity comes in.

Noee Abita was only 17 when this film was made, and though she is partially or fully nude fairly often, there are no actual sex scenes (simulated or otherwise) between her and the boy she starts hanging around with, Juan (who is played by Juan Cano). Contrary to popular belief, nudity by actors under age 18 can be done in film-- but there are understandably many legal requirements involved (no actual sex, for example, and extreme caution with even "simulated" scenes) such that most directors won't bother (which again, is completely understandable-- why risk it?). For those who really have a problem with the nudity in this film, they might want to ask themselves this question-- have they ever seen a nude painting of a female? If they have, and it was done at any time all the way until around the 1950s-- otherwise known as "classic nude paintings" --there is a good chance that the model they are looking at was under 18 at the time. It's also interesting that people don't seem to get as upset when the young nude actor or painted subject is a male (or a young male who is even the subject of pretty explicit nude, classical sculpture). What it comes down to, is that, in our modern times, we are weirdly, in many ways, more uncomfortable with nudity of any sort than our ancestors of not so long ago.

It's also interesting that, for all the bad rap male directors get for putting so many nude actresses in film (which now seems to be on the decline), that so many of the most controversial "coming-of-age" films are made by female directors:

This film, Ava, directed by Lea Mysius, 2017

Slalom, also starring Noee Abita, directed by Charlene Favier (a coming-of-age film as well as a film about sexual abuse), 2020

Fat Girl, directed by Catherine Breillat, 2001

Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, directed by Beeban Kidron, 1989

Fast Times at Ridgemont High, directed by Amy Heckerling, 1982

A Real Young Girl, also directed by Catherine Breillat, 1976 (haven't seen this one, but have read of its explicitness)

On a lighter note, going back to "Ava", if you have seen the film, it is interesting that French police horses are fitted with visors around their eyes; there is even a scene where, on an especially sunny day, the horses are wearing tinted "sunglass" visors! I have never seen this on horses here in the U.S.. Also, Ava really likes to eat French fries, which I found ironic (and yes, I know French fries are not really French-- but still, I found it amusing).

All in all, a well-made film, but despite this, I don't feel it really has a lot of "rewatch" value, and can only rate it a 5 out of 10.