Anora
Composite Score: 98.7
Starring: Mikey Madison, Yura Borisov, Lindsey Normington, Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Darya Ekamasova, and Aleksey Serebryakov
Director: Sean Baker
Writer: Sean Baker
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, pervasive language, and drug use
Box Office: $47.20 million worldwide
My take on Watching This Film:
Anora is Sean Baker’s Best Picture winning film about a New York stripper who marries the son of a Russian oligarch and the fallout from that decision. The film stars Mikey Madison as the titular dancer, joined by Mark Eydelshteyn as her Russian lover/husband Vanya and Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, and Vache Tovmasyan as the muscle hired to help dissolve their marriage. It is a brilliantly fun and funny dramedy about class, the “American” dream, and human emotions that took the world by storm at Cannes last year and never really looked back en route to winning five of its six Oscar nominations, including Sean Baker’s record-breaking four wins for the same film (Picture, Director, Editing, and Original Screenplay) and Mikey Madison’s win for Best Actress; its only loss came in Supporting Actor where Yura Borisov lost to the season’s sweeper Kieran Culkin for his role in A Real Pain. Though there has been some controversy around Baker’s attitude toward the use of intimacy coordinators, the film remains arguably the strongest front to back and top to bottom of the entire crop of 2024 films. (I’d argue that it’s a better film than the one that took the number one spot, but I don’t let myself fudge the numbers like that.)
From the opening sequence of Ani at work set to the Calum Scott remix of Take That’s “Greatest Day”, you’re hooked into this wild ride of a film, following the titular heroine through her tragic Cinderella story all the way to its cathartic end. So much of the film relies on the performances and interactions of the cast, and all of them live up to the script’s expectations beautifully. Obviously, Madison carries the film as Ani, playing the fast talking, walled up stripper with just enough empathy to draw the audience to her even as we can’t help but wonder at her cruelty and naivete at various points throughout the film. She’s a complex figure that we never get to fully know until the film’s final moment, just as she never fully lets any of the rest of the characters in until that moment either. Eydelshteyn feels like the perfect casting for douchebag moneybag son, and he plays Vanya with the most frustratingly aloof attitude that works excellently for the character. Both Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan provide some excellent comic relief as the goons sent to deal with the Ani problem, and they make the film’s second act just as entertaining as the first and final. Of the film’s supporting men, though, it’s Yura Borisov as the more tenderhearted of the Russian thugs who steals the show with his long stares, meaningful glances, and heartfelt moments of empathy, really selling the tough turn of the third act alongside Madison, holding his own with her. The story and social commentary on wealth and poverty also make for compelling, if familiar themes, and the soundtrack and visuals keep you plugged in just as much as the characters do.
Anora is a film that fully deserves the recognition it received throughout awards season, and it might even be the true best film of the year thanks to its strong and memorable ensemble who take a fun script and make it into a meaningful one. Though the basics of the story are fairly familiar, their execution and the characters that flesh the story out help the film stand apart, and it’s definitely one worth checking out. Currently, you can rent the film if you’d like to watch it now, but it’s also coming to Hulu on March 17th, or it’ll be available in physical form from the Criterion Collection starting in April.
