Anora - Review

 

America is an interesting tapestry of experiences, to say the least, and director Sean Baker has always found an audience by portraying the precarious nature of the economic uneasiness of everyday individuals. From a down on her luck single mother on the outskirts of Orlando in The Florida Project, to a retired adult film star trying to find his place back in his life in Red Rocket, there’s something about Baker’s films that just feel far more real than most other’s directorial efforts. With Anora, he may just strike awards glory with it as well. 

Anora (Mikey Madison), a sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch (Mark Eidelstein). Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.

For many, this film will be described as an R-rated version of 1990’s Pretty Woman. And while the premise is certainly in the same vein, it shares more in common with the frenetic Uncut Gems, with plenty of energy and emotional punches to spare. It’s also shot with a dream-like quality, a fairy tale gone awry aesthetic that still somehow captures a side of New York City that feels very real and grounded. 

The key to what makes Anora tick is Mikey Madison’s fiery, often funny, and increasingly somber performance. It’s a star making performance, one that’s bound to be mentioned frequently in the forthcoming awards conversations. It’s equal parts loud, boisterous, and subtle somehow, portraying the sheer hope and freedom that Ani briefly experiences before things start to unravel all around her. While Baker imbues the film with themes of inevitably and unfairness, Madison’s performance cuts to the heart of just how stacked the deck is against everyone. 

While Madison’s performance will rightfully get the majority of praise surrounding this film, it must be said that Yura Borisov as Igor, one of somewhat bumbling enforcers for the Russian family, is also really phenomenal here. From the jump, it’s clear he doesn’t really have the heart for this work, but it’s his option in life. One of the final moments between the two is among the better scenes of the year, and catapults Anora into a new stratosphere with a few simple moments. 

Sean Baker and company have crafted one of the best films of the year, and rested its final piece to success on the very capable shoulders of Mikey Madison. With each snarky response, or disheartened look, Madison portrays a character in Ani that is just fighting to make it, however that may come. It’s a portrait of what so many Americans are feeling in 2024, from the hope of a better life, to being pulled back down by the world, to just being tired of being tired. Anora is the current reality of the “American Dream” and its brilliance at portraying that will surely keep it in many conversations to come.