Film review: ‘Anora’ | Moviefone

Directed by Sean Baker and starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yuriy Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov, Darya Ekamasova and Lindsey Normington, Anora hits theaters on October 18th.

Related Article: Mikey Madison Talks ‘Anora’ and Working with Director Sean Baker

First thoughts

“Anora” is perhaps the biggest film to date from independent filmmaker Sean Baker, whose previous works include “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project,” “Starlet” and “Red Rocket.” By directing, writing and editing his films himself and using innovative techniques like shooting an entire film on an iPhone (as he did with “Tangerine”), Baker gives his films an authenticity that reflects his passion for focusing on living and focusing on working people on the margins of society – including sex workers in several of his films.

The latter are the focus of “Anora,” whose title character is a stripper in a Brooklyn club who is not afraid to meet customers for more intimate encounters after work if the money is right. One such encounter leads Anora on an adventure in which she must reassert her own right to happiness and self-determination, while simultaneously becoming embroiled in a mix of crazy farce, chase, and class drama that goes in unexpected directions and will leave them both out Breath and moves back.

Story and direction

Ani (Mikey Madison), full name Anora, is a young Russian-American stripper who lives in the Russian-influenced community of Brighton Beach in Brooklyn and appeals to her club’s Russian customers because she speaks their language. One of these customers, a seemingly shy but charismatic young man named Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), arrives with a handful of money and a lot of charm and is immediately smitten by the seductive Ani.

It doesn’t take long before Ivan invites Ani to his house for more private activities and wants to be his “girlfriend” for a week – for which Ivan is willing to pay Ani an exorbitant sum. His palatial home and endless supply of money belie the fact that Ivan doesn’t “do” anything – although he’s supposedly in the US to study, he lives off his parents’ generosity. The next week for Ani is a blur of constant sex, drugs, parties with Ivan and his friends, and even spontaneous trips – the last of which, to Las Vegas, ends with Ani and Ivan impulsively eloping.

But it’s only when they get home that Ivan’s parents – powerful, high-ranking Russian oligarchs – get wind of what happened through Toros (Karren Karagulian), Ivan’s carer. Angry parents can arrive and have the marriage annulled. Instead, Ivan flees the house, forcing Toros and his two employees Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and the surprisingly sensitive Igor (Yura Borisov), with Ani in tow, to embark on a night-time search for the drunk, dissolute and spoiled man. Child. Meanwhile, Ani fights fiercely, both physically and verbally, against potentially being forced to give up both her privileged new life and what she perceives as true love.

From the start, Baker keeps Anora moving at a rapid pace, but never loses sight of the relationship at the heart of the story and the character at the center of this whirlwind romance. Ani and Ivan spend enough quiet moments together to at least give the impression that there is a real connection between them, even if it is punctuated by a hectic whirlwind of parties, sex and hedonism that makes you wonder if the two of them really care have or are just Fly on a rocket full of youthful energy, powered by unlimited money.

The pace doesn’t let up until the first breakdown – when the beleaguered Toros and his henchmen show up – and even as Ivan flees like a child fleeing his parents in a tantrum, Ani shows a different side of herself: swearing, screaming, fighting physically with enough brute strength and fury to injure the two tough looking Russians sent to intimidate them. The first confrontation between this petite young woman and these beefy men is a brilliantly staged combination of slapstick and heartfelt rage, in which Madison leaves everything on the battlefield.

“Anora” falters a bit during the sprawling second act, in which Ani, Toros, Igor, and Garnick visit nearly every meeting point in Brooklyn and Manhattan in search of Ivan—though it’s pretty obvious where they should look first. At 138 minutes, “Anora” is a bit long, and that middle section could have easily benefited from trimming, although in fairness we must take into account the glimpses into life in Brighton Beach – one of Brooklyn’s wildest immigrant communities, nestled in the shadow of Coney Island – are lively and colorful.

Only in the final act, with the arrival of Ivan’s haughty, demanding parents, does “Anora” regain her full power. As they attempt to have the marriage annulled and force Ani into a seemingly hopeless situation, certain characters are revealed for who they are (some surprisingly, others not), and the true message of “Anora” comes through powerfully: to people with money and power, most of us are nothing more than disposable servants and toys. It’s a hard lesson that Baker portrays effectively with the humanity and compassion he brings to all of his work.

The cast

From the start, this is Mikey Madison’s show: Previously known for her role as Pamela Adlon’s daughter in the FX series “Better Things” and for a role in 2022’s “Scream,” Madison delivers a tour de force here, whether she’s making sales pitches in Russian, seductively advocating for her customers at the club, throwing herself headlong into her new life as (basically) a model woman, or fighting with everything she can to make sure that life is hers not snatched away on a whim. Ani/Anora is simply an incredibly layered and complex character, possessing both warmth and a unique, fierce will to survive and assert her rights. The fact that she does this despite the odds being so stacked against her is one of her most endearing qualities.

The rest of the cast is a mix of Russian and Armenian actors, with Mark Eydelshteyn spot-on as the spoiled, dissolute Ivan and Yuri Borisov in his American debut, bringing surprising depth and profundity to the quiet Igor. As with his previous projects, Baker not only casts the right faces – from cheerful to apathetic – but he also hires actors who exude the right amount of humanity and fragility, no matter how tough they may seem.

Final thoughts

With Anora winning the Cannes Film Festival’s top honor, the Palme d’Or, earlier this year, and the film coming out just as awards season is in full swing, there should be no doubt that Sean Baker’s film is in the awards ceremony will be seen in the race. His sensitivity to people working and struggling on the margins of society remains one of the most important in film today and we think he would be a sure-fire nominee for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing.

For Mikey Madison it is also obvious that she will get a place in the race for best actress. Although “Anora” is a little self-indulgent at times, it is a thoroughly original combination of character study, car chase, bedroom farce and blue-collar comedy that (if some of its themes don’t put off the notoriously stuffy). Academy voters) is likely to be considered a top contender and one of the best films of the year.

“Anora” gets 8.5 out of 10 stars.

What is the plot of “Anora”?

A Russian-American stripper named Anora (Mikey Madison) – or Ani for short – begins a whirlwind romance with the son (Mark Eydelshteyn) of wealthy Russian oligarchs and ultimately elopes with him. His parents find out about the marriage and plan to dissolve it – but Ani wants to fight to keep her husband.

Who is in the cast of “Anora”?

• Mikey Madison as Anora/Ani
• Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov
• Yura Borisov as Igor
• Karren Karagulian as Toros
• Vache Tovmasyan as Garnick
• Aleksei Serebryakov as Nikolai Sakharov
• Darya Ekamasova as Galina Zakharov
• Lindsey Normington as Diamond

A scene from “Anora”. Photo: Courtesy of NEON.

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