Joey Magidson
Sean Baker has made a career out of de-stigmatizing sex work. He’s clearly fascinated by characters who exist, to one degree or another, on the margins of society, seen as “other” in some way. Not only does it set him apart as a storyteller, it leads to some incredibly unique works. Starlet, Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket have all established him as a poet laureate for these people. Now, with Anora, Baker has upped his game even more. In crafting his first romance, as well as leaning a bit more into plot, he’s made his fullest cinematic meal yet. This is not just the best thing I’ve seen so far at the Telluride Film Festival, it’s the best movie of the year so far.
Anora is a wild ride. It begins as Baker’s take on Pretty Woman, before evolving into something more akin to a night out thriller. After Hours has been evoked by some, as well as Cinderella by Baker himself, but none of this prepares you for the third act. If act one is comedy and romance, act two retains some of the laughs while also bringing in danger, act three takes it all home with a real sense of tragedy as well. This is an auteur fully in control of his craft.
Anora (Mikey Madison) likes to go by Ani, both in life and also at the strip club she dances at, rarely leaning into her ability to speak Russian. Vanya Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn) likes to go by Ivan, but when he’s introduced to her while partying at the club, Ani only sees a kid with money to spend. He’s almost immediately smitten with her and her ability to understand Russian, leading to Vanya paying for Ani to come over to his Brooklyn mansion for sex. It’s only during one of these sessions that she asks how he has all this money and he explains that his father is an insanely wealthy man in Russia. In short order, he’s proposed hiring her for a week as his “very horny girlfriend” and it’s off to Las Vegas for more partying. Ani is enjoying Vanya and his friends, as well as his money, but when he expresses sadness about having to leave America to begin work for his father, his solution is one that could change her life forever. Vanya proposes, Ani accepts, and they’re wed in Vegas. She’s about to get her Happily Ever After. Well, about that…
When news of the marriage reaches Vanya’s parents, they’re outraged, dispatching his godfather Toros (Karren Karagulian) to get it annulled. Toros sends minions Garnick (Vache Tovmaysan) and Igor (Yura Borisov) to track the kid down. They descend upon the mansion, where Vanya loses his shit, which puts Ani on edge. Forcing their way into the house, they insist that the marriage needs to be annulled, and when things get intense, Vanya bolts. The men then spend the night, with Ani forcefully in tow, looking for him throughout Brighton Beach. There’s a ticking clock, as the parents are en route from Russia, with dark implications for everyone. Baker has no interest in taking any traditional paths, however, and the ending may well leave you stunned.
Mikey Madison gives the performance of the year here, full of vim and vigor. You immediately fall in love with Ani and want her to be happy. You worry for her safety when things get intense, cheer when she has the upper hand, and are heartbroken when you realize how the odds are stacked against her. Madison plays all this perfectly, leaning in to not just her sexuality, but also her toughness. So much is unsaid, but you have no trouble understanding Ani’s life, which is a credit to Baker and Madison. I haven’t seen a performance like this so far in 2024. If she’s not nominated for an Academy Award in Best Actress, something is wrong. Mark Eydelshteyn plays a very charming man-child, right up until it counts, when he comes up tragically small. Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmaysan are amusing and compelling in equal measure, but it’s Yura Borisov who is the star of the supporting players, upending expectations about his supposed thug. Igor’s menacing look shields an actual concern for Ani that pays major dividends. The rest of the cast includes Darya Ekamasova, Luna Sofía Miranda, Brittney Rodriguez, and Aleksey Serebryakov, but this is Madison as the absolute MVP.
Writer/director Sean Baker manages to make the closest thing he’s ever done to a mainstream movie here. Baker sincerely deserves his first Best Director and Best Original Screenplay nominations for Anora, as this work is just too good for Oscar to ignore. Cinematographer Drew Daniels makes Brighton Beach come alive, and this is coming from someone who literally lives where the film is set and has been inside nearly every location. Baker makes the setting a true character, distinctive from anywhere else he’s ever put a movie. He never shies away from the transactional nature of the relationship, but in true Baker fashion, he never judges or stigmatizes it, nor does he do that with any character. That’s why you’re so invested early on, as well as why the ending lands as strongly as it does.
Anora is brilliant and a stunning effort, full of entertainment but also gut punches. It may well be the best thing Sean Baker has made, as well as his most accessible work. At the same time, it’s still undeniably Baker, through and through. Throw in Mikey Madison absolutely blowing me away and this is something like a masterpiece. Telluride has a hell of a film on their hands, one that the Academy should finally embrace. What a picture!
SCORE: ★★★★
Between Barbie being your favorite movie of last year and your unequivocal rave review of her jury’s pick for the Palme d’Or, it seems like you and Greta Gerwig have become kindred spirits in cinematic tastes.
It does seem that way, doesn’t it?