*This review will be free of spoilers until the end, so you will get prompt warning when this will switch over into spoiler mode. I will say that certain themes throughout the review may allude to spoiler-ish elements*
My boyfriend Jesse and I sat down at Nitehawk in Brooklyn and one of the first things to play on the screen was the original trailer for Pretty Woman. It sort of made sense; I knew the themes from that film would play into the one we were about to see.
And that film, Anora, quickly became one of my most anticipated films of the year after it managed to win the prestigious Palme d’or at the Cannes Film Festival back in May.
At first glance, Anora doesn't seem like the kind of film that would become a major contender during the movie award season...but I think we are beginning to see tides shifting within the kinds of films that can get this significant attention. Sure, there are going to be exceptions that prove me wrong -- for every Parasite and Moonlight, there will be Green Book and Coda right behind them rearing their mediocre heads.
This isn't to say Anora is exactly that out of the box in terms of accessibility, but it IS a film that flirts with genres and themes that aren't typically considered fodder for prestige pictures.
The film begins at Headquarters, a strip club located near the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan where we meet the titular 23 year old Anora Mikheeva (Mikey Madison), who prefers to go by Ani. She works as a stripper and does sex work on the side to make extra money. She gets by, but she lives in a small apartment in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn...a neighborhood famously known for its prominent Russian population. Despite having shallow and materialistic tendencies, she does have a desire to break out of this life.
Having familiarity with the Russian language, she is asked to be the escort for 21 year old Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), who we soon discover is the son of a rich Russian oligarch and he is living out of his father's mansion in Mill Basin (which, for a time, was actually owned by a real-life Russian oligarch).
Even though Ani doesn't want to think of herself as a prostitute, she takes repeated offers from him for sexual encounters to the point where he proposes an even bigger offer: $15,000 for her to stay with him the whole week and pose as his girlfriend...and this leads to an impromptu trip to Las Vegas via a private plane with all of Vanya's entourage. Vanya proclaims that he has fallen in love with Ani and despite some brief skepticism, she says yes and asks for a 3 karat ring. Vanya postures: "Why not 4?"
The two rush to one of those cliche Vegas wedding chapels and have an exuberant night to follow along the strip. Ani moves in with Vanya and quits her job at HQ...but there are signs of something amiss. Word has gotten back to Russia that Vanya married "a prostitute", which sends his powerful and domineering mother Galina and his stoic but aloof father Nikolai into a tailspin and they board a plan for New York with every intention to get this marriage annulled.
In order to the ensure the process can begin, they have Vanya's godfather, an Orthodox priest named Toros (Karren Karagulian), sends over two goons named Igor and Garnick (Yura Borisov & Vache Tovmasyn) over to the mansion to confront the duo.
And from there...the film truly takes off.
I find myself thinking a lot about Anora now that I am a day removed from seeing it. I am still at a point where I am not quite sure if I would go as far as to claim it to be a masterpiece as many are saying on Film Twitter or YouTube channels...besides, the term "masterpiece" gets thrown around way too much these days. Having said that, there is so much to love about Anora.
I will say there were a couple of plot points that I predicted coming from a mile away, but what I will commend Sean Baker on is that he diverted enough from the path that he kept me on my toes and from not being underwhelmed when these moments occurred.
There are definitely moments I want to discuss when I get to the spoiler section in relation to some of these plot points, but for now, I do want to talk about what makes this film work as a whole.
Sean Baker has been a true king of indie filmmaking several years now with films like Starlet, Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. He always seems eager to tackle topics that deal with people who are struggling or marginalized and wants to give them focus.
When Baker won the Palme d'or and even in interviews since, he has made it clear that negative stigma towards sex work in society simply needs to vanish. I certainly don't expect one film to be any kind of significant catalyst, but I will say that I appreciated how clearly Baker took care to capture this kind of world with a dignity that was warranted while also showing its darker edges as well.
I think a lot of the power in capturing that world can be given not just to Sean Baker, but to his leading lady.
Mikey Madison is one of those actresses I have seen (and liked) in other projects but personally never found myself catching her name. I had seen her as Max, the bitter daughter of Pamela Adlon's Sam on Better Things (in fact, a scene from the show was shown during the sneak preview portion before the film); she also has the distinction of being burned alive in two films: Scream V and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In fact, her death in the latter was particularly memorable as she not only dies via Leonardo DiCaprio's flamethrower in the swimming pool, but she is mauled by Brad Pitt's pitbull prior to that. It perhaps felt more satisfying because she was playing Susan Atkins, the Manson Family member who was present for the infamous Tate murders.
If I am going to say anything positive about the film, and believe me I will have more positive things to say than what I am about to say, but it would be this:
Mikey Madison. STAR!
This girl is IT. She has such a distinctive quality that is not only beautiful, but also rough around the edges. She can play tough but also incredibly vulnerable with absolute conviction. Considering she is a girl from the San Fernando Valley, it is kind of impressive how much she captures the South Brooklyn dialect that I hear around me all the time. It fits her like a glove so much so that I honestly thought that perhaps she did grow up in Brooklyn. You can tell she put so much effort to nail the accent and to work on learning Russian.
Even beyond just the technical aspects like accent work, Madison is just a force of nature. This isn't to say that she is constantly being brash or bombastic on screen...although we do get to see her do exactly that kind of thing...but her screen presence feels so fresh and, frankly, unlike many actresses I have seen in recent years.
She feels so real and genuine to the point where when she does have to become more emotional or vulnerable, you truly feel for her. Ani is one tough cookie and she is more than willing to defend herself...but you are ready to join the resistance to protect her at all cost because she manages to win you over that much.
It is still so early to make this call, but regardless of what other performances do come about, Mikey Madison's work here as our lead is worthy to win the Oscar for Best Actress. I would go as far to say I wouldn't be shocked if she does go all the way; if anything, she IS my prediction to win right now. I didn't exactly buy into that hype when I heard others make that claim in reviews, but I am a certainly in that camp now.
This is one of those performances I could see people looking back on as years go by and calling it "iconic". A true career defining performance that truly puts Mikey Madison on the map in an absolutely monumental way and one that makes me super excited to see whatever she does next!
As for the rest of the ensemble, a lot has been circulating online about young Mark Eydelshteyn being the Russian Timothee Chalamet...and yes, that comparison is earned and justified. His Vanya is essentially a teenager trapped in the body of a 21-year-old which has its charms...including sliding around in his socks like some Gen Z version of Tom Cruise in Risky Business to avoid the simple act of walking. I actually would love to see him do more, because there are moments where I could see glimpses of potential darkness that could prove fruitful in bleaker dramatic material.
Karagulian, Borisov, and Tovmasyan as the Three Stooges of sorts...Toros, Igor, and Garnick...are a riot. In many ways, you hate them but you also can't help but love them.
Once they enter the fray, you truly see the film heading into directions you weren't quite expecting...but you also marvel at how much Baker balances their villainous nature with a sense of humanity...even if it comes from a place of supposed class snobbery.
In fact, Anora as a film is all about balance.
Tonal shifts can be problematic when it comes to films. A filmmaker like Bong Joon-ho masters that line time and time again, but I would argue Sean Baker proves he can blend genres and shift them around with the best of them.
There are times where the energy of this film feels like a brasher take on that of a 30s screwball comedy, but then at times, where you truly feel truly disheartened or on the edge of your seat as if you are watching some kind of Safdie Brothers action/comedy/thriller a la Uncut Gems.
I also adored the film's setting as we don't often see South Brooklyn neighborhoods featured in films these days aside from Coney Island. They even filmed scenes at the Williams Candy Shop in Coney Island, a place I have gone to multiple times to get candy apples and fudge. I truly loved the aesthetic of the film with such wonderful cinematography by Drew Daniels, who manages to make the film pop with rich colors and I would argue his work deserves an Oscar nod as well.
I am going to be a bit of nitpicker and outlier here as I disagree with a lot of reviews I have read that this film flew by. I would argue that sections of it do, but I do think Sean Baker's script/editing (he does his own editing) could've used a little trimming. The final act does drag a bit and I would also argue the film's first half hour sort of left me feeling like "This is good, but I am worried this might've been overhyped".
The film's runtime is just shy of 140 minutes, but I do think the final act could've been trimmed by a few minutes to keep it moving at swifter pace. I don't think it would've sacrificed the payoff by any means.
Beyond that, this is a film that is truly a disarming and easy to engage with. I think Sean Baker was able to mesh so many of his previous themes and styles and ideas into a film that feels so alive and...to use a word I have already said multiple times already...refreshing in today's cinema landscape.
I could see it growing on me more over time, but as it stands now, I think we have a truly lovely effort from Sean Baker with an absolutely star-making performance by Mikey Madison that deserves to be talked about in the years to come.
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And now - THE SPOILERS:
A lot has been said about the ending of Anora and the final act that precedes it.
Earlier in my review, I stopped talking about the plot once it is clear that Vanya's parents want his marriage annulled and they enlist Toros to get involved with Igor and Garnick.
Two key reasons I stopped talking about this are the tonal shifts deserve to be left with some ambiguity as I frankly wasn't expecting the film to truly be as hilarious as it was. The comedy truly hits slapstick/screwball level but in a way that feels realistic. None of them feel like cartoon characters.
But the major key moment is Vanya abandoning Ani at the mercy of his three caretakers. It is clear that there is something truly off with Vanya in this moment, but it is still so soon in the process that even if we suspect he is just an immature child who might cave to his parents' demands, we can still understand why Ani may suspect he will be back.
Alas - Vanya is just an immature spoiled brat who is too busy to do anything with his life but live off his father's fortune. He even mentions in passing to Ani that he really wants to obtain a Green Card and become a US Citizen so he won't have to go back to Russia and work for his father.
The scenes of watching Ani fight off the trio in the mansion and eventually being carted around South Brooklyn to find Vanya are certainly hilarious, but as the film progresses, you truly feel more and more that she is about to lose everything she thought so easily fell into her lap.
And all through that, she is being demeaned for her job/lifestyle.
By the end, Vanya's parents arrive and it is particularly his mother that is truly vile towards Ani...but I do love that Ani gets her moments to tell off both Vanya and Galina.
It is as if we are seeing behind the curtain after the glorious Pretty Woman happy ending and seeing someone's life crash and burn...but is it really crashing and burning?
In many ways, Ani has saved herself a lot of heartache. She also managed to walk away with $10K from the annulment and, in an admittedly predictable twist, Ani does maintain possession of the 4-karat diamond ring that Vanya gave her. Toros had taken the ring but Igor managed to steal it back to give to Ani.
Igor is presented as the tough oaf who actually begins to feel for Ani despite the fact he is the one who she seems to lash out at most as he tries to hold her down and tie her up when she escapes...but in reality, you sort of wonder if they are going to try to pair these two.
That would be the Hollywood ending to tack on to them feel after what we got prior to the final scene, but Baker takes us down a bleaker path.
Once Igor gives Ani the ring, she resorts back to her transactional manner and feels she needs to reward Igor with sex...not to mention this whole ordeal occurred on his birthday, which is one of those plot beats that feels silly but it feels perfect for the story. Igor, actually thinking maybe this is her coming around to giving him a chance, tries to kiss her only for her to start hitting him for even trying.
Once she calms down, she collapses into his arms sobbing profusely.
Everything has finally hit her: the whole ordeal and on top of that, she seems to feel incapable of accepting that someone might truly be willing to see her as a lovely companion on her terms rather than a sex object. Igor almost stares at Ani in awe because it is clear he admires her and cares for her as the film progresses...and even when she starts hitting him in that moment, you get the sense he truly GETS why.
I would like to think that Ani finds her peace. Maybe Igor would be able to be a source of comfort for her. Maybe the fact he drives his dead grandmother's car that is seemingly decades old will be enough to recoil further if she slinks back into more materialistic ways as she always had. Ani might potentially be willing to accept help. She also has the means to pawn a ring worth tens of thousands of dollars while her "husband" is being forced to go back to Russia under the watchful eye of his parents.
So no - Anora doesn't exactly have a happy ending...it sort of hits you just as much as the abuse Igor takes from Ani...but I would like to think that maybe there is a glimmer of hope for her in this tragic circumstance.
