Anora

Starring: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borislov, Karren Karagulian, Paul Weissman, Lindsey Normington, Vache Tovmasyan, Emily Weider, Darya Ekamosva, Aleksey Serebryakov
Directed by: Sean Baker
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A Brooklyn stripper (Mikey Madison) connects with the rich son (Mark Eydelshteyn) of Russian Oligarchs and sees a path to a completely different life.

Review:

Tim: I'm still not fully sure what to make of Anora. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and see how wildly unique the movie is. The subject matter, the approach Sean Baker takes, it all feels fresh and new. And yet, despite liking this movie so much, I'm still a bit flummoxed that the movie won 5 Academy Awards, including many of the most prestigious ones. While this is such a good film, it feels like the Academy ignored far greater ones. That leaves me in a tough place- I want to celebrate this film, but I also need to discuss my surprise. That always makes it hard to review.

Let's start with the positives- Baker's film begins by focusing on this stripper who also does sex work. Society frowns upon women like this, and for many viewers, this puts the character of Ani in a very specific box. We know who she is and we imagine the poor life choices that led her here. As the movie progresses, Baker takes a different view- he approaches Ani with compassion and curiosity. She's never a caricature. She feels like a flawed character, but flawed in the ways that any of us are- a product of her family, the society in which she lives, and yes, sure, choices she made along the way. Viewing this character in a sympathetic lens allows for a fascinating character study- yes, this woman is loud, vulgar, often obnoxious- things that a "regular" person might expect to see in a Brooklyn stripper. And yet, we see the humanity beneath all of that. It's truly an interesting view into this character.

Where the story goes from here is fascinating and unexpected. In many ways, this is a twist on the Cinderella story, but with big departures that takes the story on its own unique path. Ani meets Ivan and is whisked away into his world of wealth, fun, entertainment, and no responsibilities. For a woman who literally sells her body, this is an abrupt and welcome departure. She has money, she has a beautiful place to live. She feels love. It all feels too good to be true, and so you watch with trepidation- it's so good, it can't possibly last, right? And, what would it be like if she needed to return to her regular life? How could a person experience such a departure and then such a brutal return? We feel invested in her, we want her to get her happy ending. There's a lot of emotions wrapped up in this story.

The other unexpected thing is that Baker's story veers into the deeply comedic. Ivan's family sends three of their employees to stop Ani and Ivan and get an annulment. This is where the movie generates so many of its most unforgettable moments. These Russian servants meet their match in Ani, and their clashes result in unforgettable comedic moments. There's two things that truly stand out- the first, is the character of Garnik. He gets a concussion early on, and the rest of the movie, proceeds to suffer worse and worse symptoms in a truly hilarious manner. Vache Tovmasyan is outstanding in this role- I laughed continually as he suffered from a concussion, usually to the side or background. Baker hilariously rarely ever focuses on him- he's just this character suffering substantially and maybe dying on the margins of the story. The way it happens here is so damn funny.

The other immensely impressive aspect of the film is the character of Igor, played beautifully by Yura Borisov. There's no way I can discuss this character without some SPOILERS, but I'll do my best. Igor shows up as this nothing side character- he's a thug, a gofer. As the film progresses, in incredibly subtle ways, his character becomes more likeable and more important. At a certain point, you realize how much you love this character, how important he is to the entire film. We see this before Ani, and how Baker brought this about is truly brilliant. It helps that Borisov gives such an outstanding, remarkable performance. He never does anything flashy- he always exists on the sidelines- but what he's doing is in the smallest of ways, showing us the humanity of this character. He's revealing this man's heart, his soul, his character. How he's able to connect this character to the audience without getting any big moments, without ever crowding out the character of Ani, it's absolutely genius. This is one of my favorite parts of the film. I ended the movie saying, "Wow, I can't believe it, but I loved Igor so much and Borisov gives the most sneakily wonderful performance I've ever seen." I was ecstatic that Borisov was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He so much deserved that acclaim. The rest of the cast is strong, too. Karren Karagulian does some terrific, unforgettable work. Mark Eydelshteyn makes us feel a range of emotions in the role of Ivan.

I saved Mikey Madison for last. I have to give her incredible amounts of credit for bringing the character of Anora to life. What she did in this film is incredibly difficult- she carries the movie- the camera is there for her alone, it usually feels. She is loud, brash, complex, and yet quietly fragile. She shows us multiple sides to this character, helps us understand her in subtle ways. She's larger-than-life, yet feels intimately human. Her performance was incredibly challenging and she delivers an exceptional performance. Even with that, I'm a little surprised she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. I'm not saying she didn't deserve it- the role was big and difficult enough that you can see why she won. I'm a little surprised because she is still so young and faced some formidable competition in the category. Still, a win is a win and Madison captures the ultimate film award for actresses at a very early stage of her career. That's impressive.

The film also won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, which I absolutely believed was deserving. The script is so funny, so unexpected, and it introduces unforgettable characters and situations. I was really glad it won that. It also won Best Film Editing, another deserved award. I can see how Sean Baker won for Best Director. I'm not sure I totally agree with it, but what he crafts here feels so unique and filled with emotion. I personally wouldn't have granted him this award, but I can see the detail in the craft that likely pushed him to the top. Congrats to him. The one that really bothers me is Best Picture. It's not uncommon for me to disagree with the Academy's decision on the top prize. I just felt like there were multiple better films released in 2024. I really liked Anora, but I can't claim it's a great film, let alone the best movie of the year. I'm not going to harp on this, because everyone has their own opinions of cinema, but I have to say I was surprised and I disagree with the top award going to this film.

While I did laugh throughout this movie, I'm not sure Baker hit all the right dramatic notes. Ani spends so much of the film cussing and yelling that I wasn't able to develop a deep enough connection to her character. I know I said early that we start to appreciate Ani and understand her, but I don't think this went far enough. Do we truly know this character at the end? We see her go on an unbelievable journey that's entertaining for us and brutal for her. Did she change? Did she truly grow? Or did she simply endure? The end of the film is a bit ambiguous, but we see her reverting to her old path, before potentially shifting- but it's a bit too open-ended. Where does Ani go from here? Baker needed a bit more character development, a bit more of a satisfying ending. Baker seems like he gets so caught up in the comedic moments in the middle of the film that he doesn't spend enough time developing the characters deeply enough. The movie is long, at 2 hours and 19 minutes, and a surprising amount of that time is spent searching for Ivan. Some of these scenes are terrific- the unexpected meal break is a great sequence. It feels like during those quiet moments, we understand Igor better, but Ani less so. I do wish I left the movie with a bit more understanding of who she is at a deeper level.

That all being said, I still really liked Anora. It's exceptionally good and memorable. I think critics overrated it, but I acknowledge its strengths. It's not a film I'd be too enthused about watching repeatedly, but it's really good.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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