Anora, 2024.
Directed by Sean Baker.
Starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov , Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan.
SYNOPSIS:
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
Sean Baker is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary US cinema. In films like The Florida Project, Tangerine and Red Rocket he has shown a knack for balancing more unsavoury elements of working-class American life. His films have won their share of plaudits for their honesty and blend of humour and heart; rather than showing a superficial glimpse at the topics discussed there is a sense of realism and humanism to them, which helps immerse us in the world of his subjects, making for engaging but at times uncomfortable watching.
Anora his latest film won the Palmes D’or at Cannes and tells the story of Ani (played by Mikey Madison), a stripper/exotic dancer in New York City. Given Ani’s roots as an Uzbek American in a Russian speaking part of the city she is set up with Russian speaking clients.
Here she meets Ivan, an extremely wealthy Russian 21 year old and the pair become infatuated with one another beginning a whirlwind romance. Anie is swept up by the glamorous lifestyle and perks that come with it, clothes, a mansion and so much more. Ivan seems keen to distance himself from his wealthy Russian family who clearly hold high ambitions for him within the family business back in Russia.
Anora builds on the elements of Baker’s previous films and much like The Florida Project shows two sides to the community, the downtrodden area Ani works and lives in compared to the heights and glamour of Ivan’s world. It might seem a hard sell on paper but Baker finds an incredible mix between romance, tragedy, betrayal and humour with elements of all of the above within the same scene, walking the most delicate of tight ropes to perfection.
So much hinges on Madison’s electrifying lead performance that is full of heart, anger and a desire to escape the life she’s fallen into, wanting the relationship with Ivan to work. For an actress this early in her career to deliver such a blend is a miracle. Much has been made of the authenticity of the way the sex work is depicted compared to something like Pretty Woman and Madison is wholly believable.
It will certainly be a shock if she is not firmly in the awards conversation with a performance, like the film itself, that shifts from comedy to tragedy, her final moments in the film truly spellbinding. This will hopefully be a platform for Madison in future roles.
Anora encapsulates all that makes Sean Baker such a distinctive filmmaker, unflinchingly raw and honest while making its 2hr 20 runtime fly by. Baker is involved in so many areas it truly feels like a one-man project, from casting to editing. It is one of his strongest works to date and further defines him as a voice of his generation.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
