Anora-2024
Director Sean Baker
Starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eidelstein, Yura Borisov
Scott’s Review #1,450
Reviewed November 3, 2024
Grade: A
Anora (2024) is one of the boldest films I’ve seen in some time and ranks as my favorite Sean Baker film so far. Tangerine (2015) and The Florida Project (2017) are the other great works.
Those planning to see the film should do homework and learn what Baker films are about. He frequently directs independent feature films about the lives of marginalized people, especially immigrants and sex workers.
Baker’s films are dirty, dark, and outrageous.
Because Anora has received awards buzz and is classified as a romantic comedy, the audience at my showing seemed slightly overwhelmed by its raw nature. While there are comedic moments, they are shrouded in darkness, and I don’t think my audience quite knew how to respond.
Some cover art has captured the main couple played by Mickey Madison and Mark Eidelstein happily dancing and depicted with the caption ‘a modern day Cinderella story’. This is misleading to the gritty nature of the story.
Madison plays Ani (Anora), an exotic dancer and part-time sex worker at a swanky Manhattan strip club. She lives in a Russian section of Brooklyn. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya (Mark Eidelstein), the childlike son of a Russian billionaire.
When Vanya’s godfather and parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York. Vanya flees the scene and the others must find him.
Madison is brilliant. Known for a small role as Susan Atkins in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and a role in one version of Scream (2022), the young actress comes on as gangbusters.
Her character is tough. We only know she lives with her older sister and their mother lives in Florida with her boyfriend. Presumably, her father is absent and she has had to find work to help support herself. She is brassy, savvy, and intelligent. Most importantly, the audience roots for her.
Madison has an aura surrounding her and she believably plays loving and hysterical with ease. Ani wants love but is also smart enough to know love doesn’t come easy and has a price. Madison channels each emotion with seeming ease.
Baker has become a favorite director of mine. He also writes, produces, and edits most of his projects. His films are not easy to watch but that’s what I like about them.
His films take marginalized or dismissed groups and provide representation.
Another standout is Russian actor, Yura Borisov. Since Ani is the only character worth rooting for, Borisov’s character of Igor slowly becomes a fan favorite. Assumed to merely be a henchman he begins to care for Ani and strive to do the right thing amid chaos.
Borisov provides Igor with warmth and kindness in a world of little. I yearned to know more about the character. How did he get to be where he is? Did he need to escape Russia any way he could?
It’s hard to like the other characters and I loathed quite a few, especially the wealthier ones. I yearned to leap across the aisles and smack Vanya, his mother, and one stripper who is Ani’s rival.
This made me have a visceral reaction to the film and left me thinking about my emotions after it had ended. Anyone who appreciates good cinema knows the longer you are left thinking about it the better it is.
Towards the end, Baker incorporates satisfying moments of Ani standing up for herself, especially against Vanya and his mother. This only reaffirmed the passion of her character. Even in despair Ani remains tough and refuses to be mistreated by anyone.
My favorite sequence is at the end during a January snowstorm in Brooklyn. A tender moment occurs between Ani and Igor where the writing, cinematography, and camera angles are beautiful.
Anora (2024) is recommended for fans of Baker’s work. He successfully and carefully weaves a tale of adventure, romance, desperation, and the haves versus the have-nots that are emotional and raw.