Film review: “Anora” is morbidly spectacular

The Palme d’Or is awarded each year to the director of the best feature film of the year admitted to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The award is often considered the second most important award after the Best Picture Academy Award.

With that in mind, when a film from maverick director Sean Baker – known for stunts like filming an entire movie on an iPhone (“Tangerine”) and sneaking into Disneyland to record footage that violates park policy (“The Florida Project”) – – It won the prestigious Palme d’Or laurel at the 2024 Cannes Festival and caused a stir.

Unlike more expected dramatic winners like 2019’s “Parasite” or 2023’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” Baker — who is also known for telling the stories of disenfranchised sex workers — stood out as a nuanced director the suits, ties and general prestige expected of the winner. Instead, his film “Anora” embraces the inherent messiness of its subject matter, resulting in a story that feels authentically human.

In “Anora,” star Mikey Madison plays the title character, a sex worker whose life unexpectedly changes when Zakharov, the boyish son of a Russian oligarch played by Mark Eidelstein, meets her at the club where she works and asks her for exclusivity begs with him. What immediately follows this request feels like the archetypal male teenage fantasy – a girlfriend who is always available for sex and only has breaks to play video games – but quickly turns into a charming romance inspired by the blissful naivety of young Love drips.

That bubble bursts when Zakharov’s father tries to destroy their relationship, threatening a fantasy between two people from distinctly different backgrounds that was perhaps doomed from the start.

Although “Anora” is only 139 minutes long, its breakneck, real-time pace almost makes it feel like three distinct films. The first third of the film is devoted to a modern performance of Romeo and Juliet, in which Eidelstein really shines.

His youthful humor and seeming ignorance of the world around him make him charmingly pathetic not only to Anora, but to the audience as well. He embodies Madison’s character well with undeniable chemistry, subverting the normal shyness of budding romances with Zakharov’s blunt demands in broken English and Anora’s background as a sex worker.

Although Anora, Zakharov and the audience may wish they could stay forever in this salacious fairytale that drips with the bright neon of nightclubs and sometimes the Las Vegas Strip, the fish out of water story is plunged back into the sea as Zakharov’s Family finds out about the relationship and sends hit men to break it up.

The thugs’ hilarious incompetence, coupled with the frightening urgency of the situation, lends itself to some great comedic moments in this fast-paced, stressful sequence. These moments introduce the audience to Igor (Yuriy Borisov), one of the men sent to break up the relationship, who becomes a surprising star of the film with his stereotypical Eastern European sincerity in contrast to the spoiled, exuberant Zakharov.

While the first two thirds of “Anora” are a roller coaster ride full of romance, drama and comedy, the latter parts of the film finally allow some breathing room. Without going into spoilers, this righteousness doesn’t translate into a sense of satisfaction as the harsh realities of Anora’s situation crash down on the audience like a speeding car crashing into a brick wall.

“Anora” offers its audience a little bit of everything. On the one hand, it’s a realistic, grounded story, similar to Baker’s other films. On the other hand, it’s bittersweet, as the soundtrack consists entirely of pre-existing songs and lush cinematography that seduces audiences with nostalgia for older love stories that they hope “Anora” emulates.

“Anora” has no interest in being a classic Hollywood romance. Instead, Madison’s character takes the lead, with events occurring based on her decisions and harsh reality.

While the film does have some flaws – such as an excessive running time – Anora begs the question of whether it really should have won the Palme d’Or over other standout Cannes films like The Substance or The Apprentice. A deeply important and entertaining film that very faithfully illuminates the humane side of the sex work industry.

Rating: 4/5