Mikey Madison plays a sex worker caught in Sean Baker’s American romance turned nightmare. Here’s our Anora review.
Sean Baker’s Palme D’Or winning Anora is a strange beast. It opens in the sparkly lights of a strip club as a row of exotic dancers perform for their adoring clients, who seemingly can’t get enough of them. We meet our heroine, the titular Anora (Mikey Madison), who prefers to go by the name of Ani as she goes from man to man at the club, successfully offering her services.
Ani’s chance of a better life emerges in the shape of Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch who stumbles into the club and falls madly in love with her. The two get married quickly, which doesn’t exactly please Ivan’s family in Russia.
What happens next is more akin to the crazy comedies of the 80s than the innocent story of young love we’re promised at the beginning, but the chameleonic nature of Anora is what makes it unique. Like with most Sean Baker films (The Florida Project,Tangerine), Anora offers us a charming slice of life, but underneath the light, funny exterior is something far more devastating.
As the lead, Madison is effortlessly charismatic and magnetic, even if Ani as a character isn’t afforded much nuance. We don’t see Ani outside of her job enough to get a sense of her as a fully rounded person and why she would commit so strongly to someone who is practically a stranger. Madison is currently the favourite to win Best Actress at nearly every awards ceremony come 2025, but it’s for a good reason. Her performance is mostly why Anora works as well as it does. She’s able to keep the film grounded and the audience watching with her radiant, compelling performance.
Meanwhile, Eydelshteyn plays Ivan as a lovesick, perpetually horny child with too much money to play around with. There’s a tragic quality to both Ani and Ivan, who are somewhat trapped by their situations. Both are looking for a way out, but reality constantly interrupts their fairytale.
Baker is one of the few filmmakers who treats sex work as a legitimate, skilled profession. His camera never ogles at these women as they slither around a pole or twerk for the men willing to pay for such services. Instead, Baker films them almost admiringly and with complete respect. It’s refreshing and we can only hope more filmmakers adopt such a perspective.
At 139 minutes, Anora is a little on the long side. The drama becomes a little repetitive in the second act, but the final act is a devastating affair as Ani has to confront the reality of her rushed marriage. We’re never entirely sure if Ani really loves Ivan or if she’s just desperate to get out of her unexciting life. Everything between Ivan and Anora is transactional, but perhaps this is the only way both of them know how to do things.
I’m not sure I could call Anora a romance, but there’s something inherently romantic about Ani’s quest for not just love, but to break free. Madison excellently conveys Ani’s growing desperation, but Baker’s script prioritises comedy, leaving the audience to figure out the rest. This isn’t a film that talks down to you, and it will likely reveal something more profound with each viewing.
Without a doubt, Anora is one of 2024’s best, most entertaining and heartfelt films. While its nudity and graphic sex might alienate some, there’s an endearing innocence to Anora if you’re willing to look deep enough.
Anora is in UK cinemas 1st November.
