soraprint The film should be commended for an interesting premise, and some good filming on a low budget. However, there are many negatives to this movie, which when added up lead to an unenjoyable film. Firstly, the gratuitous sex scenes are both unnecessary for the plot and character development, and feel like a slightly perverted indulgence on the filmmakers behalf. Secondly, the sound. I was so disappointed that the sound recordings in many scenes and shots were below par. Bad sound can take you out of the moment, and remind you this is a low budget Kickstarter movie. The plot builds acceptably, but loses coherence in the 3rd act and ends without any conclusion that would be satisfying. Sometimes an "open to interpretation" ending is brilliant... sometimes it is a poor attempt to hide a mess of a conclusion; the equivalent of "and then I woke up". Ayla falls into the latter category. This could have been a much better film if the horror/supernatural element built to something that actually induced terror. It doesn't, so it isn't.

boonhianng First review on imdb.Ayla is a mind-boggling show that is heavily dependent on the actors' expressions. It would seem insane that a man is haunted by the death of a lost sister but it could happen. Even though the mother has been over the grief of the loss, his son does not seem to be over it and is constantly plagued by the memory, to the extent of self-mutilation.My takeaway is that loss of a family can lead us down to extreme needs of longing. Certain people predisposed to mental illness can become so absorbed in the acute sorrow that they cannot escape. And even upon bringing the dead back, many of the people living around us would not be able to cope either. Thus, it is most important to let go. Let go of the past and know that everything has its place and is meant to be. Be kind to others and yourself. Do good with the limited time we have on earth.

jacobwadsworth It's not scary, not well acted, and it's very, very boring! Please don't waste time watching this!

deathbyradiatin Ayla is a profound and mournful little film dwelling on loss, grief and mental illness. A man can have a supportive family, a girlfriend who loves him, and still be plagued by his own personal demons. Elton is obsessed with the life he never had with his sister who died tragically when she was four. This plays into his own mental health issues that cause him to self-harm. In a moment of bizarre fantasy he is able to will his sister into being. But how does this grown woman who has miraculously appeared in his life even know how to be his sister? Many of us think about those in our lives we miss or wish we could have known better but when death separates us, what is it that we're actually bringing back?This is a low budget movie funded through Kickstarter so don't expect grandiose special effects or lavish sets and settings. Instead you get a deeply committed cast willing to do what it takes to make these feel like real, sympathetic characters that you can relate to. Ayla is a film that is as much a family drama and a meditation on grief as much as it is a horror film. Much is left to the audience to interpret and figure out how they feel about what happens, it's taken me most of a week to be able to really process what the film is about in my own head. If you get a chance to see this on the festival circuit please do, you're not going to find much else at there quite like Ayla.