Sean Baker’s “Anora” explores the double-edged sword of transactional relationships.
In this screwball dramedy, Anora, played by Mikey Madison, is a sex worker from Brooklyn who does not have much. She gets a chance at romance and a glimpse of a better life when her prince charming, Ivan (“Vanya”), proposes an impromptu marriage in Las Vegas.
Ivan is a video game-obsessed 21-year-old boyish man, who is the son of a Russian oligarch.
Once his powerful Russian family finds out about the marriage, a series of comedic chaos unfolds. Ivan’s parents employ goons to watch Ivan and get the marriage annulled.
The neon-distributed film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May of this year. Then, it was released to select theaters on Oct. 18 and released nationwide in the U.S. on Nov. 1. “Anora” won the Palme d’Or award, also known as the Golden Palm, at Cannes. The award is given to the best feature film at the festival.
Baker, the director of “The Florida Project” and “Red Rocket,” created a sparkling and colorful film that is as funny as it is gut-wrenching. The small budget of $6 million did not seem to inhibit the film’s vision at all.
There was not an intimacy coordinator on set, which was surprising given the protagonist is a sex worker, but Madison was visibly comfortable in her role. Intimacy coordinators ensure the comfort and safety of actors during intimate scenes.
Madison’s performance stands out in this character-driven film. She portrays Anora’s inner dilemmas effortlessly. Her Brooklyn accent is also hilariously accurate.
The film depicts the downside of sex work and the horrid realities of grappling with objectification. Despite its heavy themes, it still healthily balances comedic elements. This story could not have been told in a better way.
The balance between seriousness and hilarity shows in the way Anora approaches her life lightly but hides her terrible relationship with sex and identity in a man’s world. Anora feels she has to use her body to get ahead by the consistent transactional intimacy in her life.
The male characters in this movie constantly disappointed me, which is reflective of the behavior I’ve seen from men in real life. They were funny, idiotic and brought a mess of chaos everywhere they went.
On the other hand, the character Igor, a hired goon, shows quiet sympathy for Anora throughout the film. His character grounded the serious elements of the story and reminded the audience other characters were mistreating Anora.
Not a single character in this film had a true change in their character arc. Anora tried to change the negative views of sex work Ivan’s family had, but that was a lost cause. Anora’s view of her own identity did not change, and Ivan acted like the privileged kid he was. He remained stubborn in his place within his powerful family despite Anora’s efforts to convince him to act like a man.
The film unconventionally depicted a group of contrasting characters with hidden motives going through an outrageous situation. All come out on the other end equally, if not more, damaged.
The twisted Cinderella story is painstakingly brilliant and comes to a cognizant end reflective of harsh reality.
This is the kind of film you cannot stop thinking about. It blew me away, and hopefully, it will be a front-runner for Best Picture.
