“Anora” is the latest film from indie darling Sean Baker, who won the highly coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his work here, having edited, written, produced, and directed all at the same time. The movie stars an explosive Mikey Madison as the title character, a charismatic Russian American sex worker in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. One night at the club Anora works at, Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the party-crazed son of a dangerous and immensely wealthy Russian oligarch, asks for a dancer who speaks Russian, uniting him with Anora. After receiving a lap dance from her, Vanya can’t get enough, and subsequently pays her $15,000 to be his girlfriend for a week. They fall in love, and while in Vegas they marry in the spur of the moment, bringing Anora into a life of wealth and opportunity she had never known. However, Anora’s Cinderella story is soon disrupted when Vanya’s parents find out that their son married a sex worker, and they send three of their goons residing in America to Vanya’s mansion to force the newlyweds to annul the marriage. Vanya flees and leaves Anora there with the minions Toros (Karren Karagulian), Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan), and Igor (Yura Borisov), ensuing a screwball comedy mission to find Vanya.
That was a far lengthier plot synopsis than I usually write in my reviews, but for such a gloriously chaotic film, it required the extra text. Since Cannes, the film has become one of the most rapturously applauded films in recent memory, and I’m elated to say that it deserves all its praise. I wanted to watch “Anora” twice before writing my review to fully absorb my thoughts on the film, and I now believe it may be a masterpiece, or at least close to one. This is a roller coaster ride of a film, an adrenaline rush that grips you from the very first stunning shot to the final devastating frame. Alongside our wonderfully lovable protagonist, the film speeds through so many ups and downs, laughs and tears, triumphs and tragedies, yet never feels convoluted or overwhelming. Through Baker’s steady direction, the film is relentlessly enthralling and always keeps you on the edge of your seat, with frenetic editing and an unpredictable story that’s always satisfying.
This may be the greatest screenplay we’ve gotten since Celine Song’s magnificent “Past Lives,” but unlike that film, which was snubbed for the Academy Award, at this point in awards season “Anora” seems guaranteed the Original Screenplay Oscar. All the characters are so fully realized, not just Anora herself (who we’ll delve more into), but also Vanya and the three goons. Vanya at first seems like an immature but lovable 21-year-old man-child and you can’t blame Anora for falling for him given his charisma, but as the film progresses you realize his destructive immaturity. Eydelshteyn is magnificent in the role, going from gut-bustingly hilarious and almost gleefully awkward to ultimately pathetic. Karagulian’s Toros and Tovmasyan’s Garnick are wonderful comic relief, especially the grumpy, neurotic, anxious Toros who has a “these kids today” attitude. Karagulian has been in all of Sean Baker’s works, and he’s never been better.
The real standouts here, however, are Yura Borisov and, of course, Mikey Madison. Let’s start with Borisov, who delivers the greatest subtle, underplayed performance I’ve seen since Mahershala Ali in “Moonlight.” Not to say Borisov is as good as Ali, but he’s brilliant nonetheless. Throughout the second and third acts’ chaos, Baker brilliantly cuts to Borisov’s Igor for his reactions to any given situation. Borisov has these wonderfully expressive eyes and a body language that’s simultaneously creepy and threatening, yet sympathetic and brutally shy. Igor almost never speaks, but he doesn’t need to because we’re able to learn everything about him just by Borisov’s posture and stare. Igor seems dangerous on the surface, but over the course of the film we realize he’s actually a deeply socially awkward person who, in his genuine attempts at kindness, comes off as threatening. Borisov is undoubtedly the heart of the film, which is quite astounding given his minimal lines and being largely relegated to lurking around.
Yet, as everyone knows, the single best performance of not only this film, but of the year thus far, is Mikey Madison. This is one of those roles that stay with an actor for a lifetime, where she’ll be referred to as Anora rather than her real name by audiences for years to come. She completely embodies a character who is entirely different from her in real life. In interviews, Madison comes off as shy, polite, and innocent, whereas Anora is incredibly confident, outgoing, and crass. Madison absolutely transformed herself for the role. She learned Russian, various types of erotic dancing (even choreographing a dance in the film), and a (pitch-perfect) Brooklyn accent. Her dedication is astounding and apparent in every frame, giving us a character for the ages in Anora, someone so immediately likable, amplifying the audience’s grief when she faces tragedy.
Baker has repeatedly stated that with this film and his four previous films, he has been dedicated to destigmatizing sex work, and never has he been more successful than with “Anora.” At the core of the film are themes of power and class dynamics, of people being chewed up and spit out as entertainment for those more privileged. Baker’s film is profoundly compassionate and gets the audience to sympathize with these commonly derided individuals without ever preaching, but rather displaying themes and a riveting narrative to extract our sympathy.
“Anora” is filmmaking at its very finest across the board: relentless pacing, stellar performances, riveting storytelling, fully realized characters, confident and empathetic direction, and perfectly relayed themes. The film is entertaining through every second of its nearly two-and-a-half hour runtime, which easily flies by. This is undoubtedly Sean Baker’s greatest achievement, and certainly his most accessible work. Needless to say, I adored “Anora,” and urge you to seek out the film immediately when it reaches your area. This may be the best film of 2024.
A+