Anora – Film Review
Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov
Director: Sean Baker
Synopsis: A young sex worker from Brooklyn begins a whirlwind romance with an extremely wealthy client…
Review: The filmography of Sean Baker has provided audiences with a usually fascinating and insightful glimpse of the pursuit of the American dream from the perspectives of people on life’s periphery who are often looked down on by certain echelons of society. An LGBT sex worker, a working-class family struggling to make ends meet, and a washed-up porn star trying to recapture his former glory. While the latter may have left a lot to be desired in how its lead character went about his ambitions, there’s an enduring appeal in seeing people looking to make their dreams become a reality in a society which promises anyone and everyone has the potential to succeed irrespective of their background, even more so when these people are marginalised. For his latest film, Baker returns to the world of sex work, in a vibrant and hilarious ride.
Opening with a line of sex workers entertaining their clients, set to the backdrop of ‘Greatest Day’ by Take That (an absolutely perfect needle drop), we meet Anora (Madison), or Ani as she prefers to be known. Ani lives in Brighton Beach in Brooklyn and works in an exclusive strip club in Manhattan, frequented by some extremely wealthy clientele. One day, as Ani is the only employee at the club who can speak Russian, she is introduced to Ivan Zakharov (Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian billionaire. It doesn’t take long for Ivan, or Vanya as he prefers to be known, to become infatuated with Ani and he soon pays for several private encounters with her, which eventually leads to the two of them beginning a relationship that culminates in a spur-of-the-moment wedding in Las Vegas. Ani, with a beautiful ring on her finger and all the money in the world, is living in the most idyllic fairytale she could imagine. This is until everything comes crashing back down to Earth when word of this impromptu marriage reaches the ears of Ivan’s parents, who set out to do everything in their power to have the marriage annulled.
No matter who you are, everyone needs to find a way to earn a living, and sometimes sex work is the form of employment people choose as their source of income. Yet, even in the modern era, there is a frankly ridiculous taboo that comes with sex work that some may see as objectification. Baker humanises these people as people just looking to get by, particularly as they are ostracised by society due to the sexual nature of their jobs. While he wildly misfired with his previous film due to the predatory nature of a washed-up porn star’s quest to recruit an underage girl into becoming a sex worker, he strikes gold with his lead character this time around.
Having had memorable supporting turns as a Manson family member in Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood and 2022’s Scream, this is Madison’s moment to shine, and it is an opportunity she seizes in spectacular style as she is in scintillating form with a tremendous leading performance. Due to her line of work, she is endlessly charming and self-assured when it comes to wooing the club’s clients. Yet when she is with Ivan, it allows her to be more open and relaxed with the man she believes she will be with for the rest of her life. The romance between them could easily feel forced, but the chemistry between both actors is powerful and genuine. until her romantic bubble emphatically bursts in the latter half of the film when her fairytale marriage is not quite the happy ever after she thought it was going to be. Madison is the unquestioned star of the show, every princess in their fairytale needs a Prince Charming, and Eydelshteyn excels in bringing Vanya’s party animal antics to the core. Here is a kid who is determined to do whatever he can to cling to the life of playing video games, making love to his wife, and not having any responsibilities. Who wouldn’t want that lifestyle when you have that sort of money?
However, all of the fairytale and briefly blissfully wedded romance is rudely interrupted after Vanya’s furious father orders some of his enforcers to travel to the U.S to get the marriage terminated, which is made all the more difficult by Vanya’s decision to literally do a runner and leave Ani in the hands of his father’s goons. It is absolute chaos as the henchmen are left with no choice but to drag Ani along on a wild goose chase in the Big Apple, to locate one person in a city filled with more than eight million people. The heavy drama of the situation, combined with the hilarity of international henchmen desperately wandering around the city, while trying to act imposing and tough with anyone they come across, is a difficult balance to strike. It is a fine line that is walked almost perfectly, although you can’t help but feel as entertaining and chaotic as this frenzied search is, the film’s fast-paced and frantic energy wears off in the third act.
As a result, the film begins to lose momentum in its final stages. However, despite this minor issue, Baker continues to highlight and give a voice to those who through no fault of their own, find themselves marginalized in society. The Palme d’Or victory at the Cannes Film Festival suggests that this could be, to paraphrase the lyrics Take That, the greatest film of Sean Baker’s career.
Through the Silver Screen 