‘Anora’ REVIEW: A Cinderella fairytale like no other
‘Anora’ REVIEW: A Cinderella fairytale like no other
Written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker, Anora follows Ani (Mikey Madison), a young sex worker from Brooklyn, who impulsively marries Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch. When Vanya’s parents hear the news, they fly to New York to have the marriage annulled.
The official poster of Anora | Photo taken from IMP Awards
Mikey Madison, who previously appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood as Manson follower Susan Atkins and in the fifth Scream film as Amber Freeman, brings the intensity and nuance she previously had from the aforementioned films in Anora as Ani. Known for her performances that feel like a bomb waiting to explode when triggered, Madison brings vulnerability and warmth to a character in a profession that is still often misunderstood and prejudiced.
With Baker at the helm, some may argue that the film portrays the male gaze to a certain degree, as it isn’t shy about showing explicit scenes. However, in contrast to other films of a similar nature, we gain a deeper understanding of who Ani is in her line of work — how committed and professional she remains, despite society's views of her profession. In a way, the film asserts that this is normalized and honest work.
In a more mature and updated version of Pretty Woman, Mark Eydelshteyn’s Vanya pays Ani $15,000 to stay with him for a week and be his girlfriend. Through this agreement, we begin to see Ani’s vulnerability, which Madison seamlessly portrays, helping us understand that they are normal people, too. They fall in love and have their feelings hurt.
Anora "Ani" Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) dancing in Anora | Still taken from IMDb
Anora proves that Madison can deliver in any role she is given. With a convincing Brooklyn accent and the ability to speak Russian, she brings an authenticity to her character which the audience can empathize with. Madison shines when she maintains a strong personality even if she’s feeling vulnerable.
When she starts falling in love with Vanya and impulsively agrees to marry him, she finds a glimmer of hope for a better life. We understand Ani as a person and not solely through her profession. As crazy as it may seem, Anora expertly crafts a romantic, Cinderella-like story that feels almost too good to be true — way too good to be true.
Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn) and Ani celebrating in Las Vegas in Anora | Still taken from IMDb
When Vanya’s parents find out, they fly from Russia to New York to have the marriage annulled, which prompts Anora to suddenly shift into something wild. Well, wild is a bit of an understatement. Karren Karagulian, who previously starred in Baker’s films, plays Toros, an Armenian hired by Vanya’s father to look after him.
He sends out henchmen Garnick, played by Vache Tovmasyan, and Igor, played by Yura Borisov, to confront Ani and Vanya. Things become more violent, to say the least, which then shifts into comedy more than you would expect. When Vanya escapes to avoid being taken back to his parents; Toros, Garnick, and Igor become worthy supporting characters that the audience can get behind, thanks to their comedic timing, line delivery, and even physical slapstick acting to an extent.
The heart of a film is its story, but not without well-written characters that serve their purpose in the story. These three have stories to tell and serve as the voice of those who aren’t as privileged as Vanya, who is, rightfully so, a stubborn, immature, and irresponsible brat who gets what he wants, whenever he wants. Even with all the humorous tendencies of these characters, we can sympathize with them as human beings who come from somewhere.
Igor (Yura Borisov), Vanya, Toros (Karren Karagulian), and Ani in Anora | Photo taken from IMDb
Character moments, like spending the night eating fast food, having their vehicle towed, and the like, give us a breather from the chaos that ensues. When we finally meet Vanya’s mother and father, played by Darya Ekamasova and Aleksei Serebryakov, respectively, we understand how Vanya sees Ani as just like them. It was all fun and games for Vanya when he and Ani got married in Vegas. Ani doesn’t show how heartbroken she is, but she ultimately stays strong-willed, not backing down from Vanya and his parents. But at the end of the day, Anora returns to reality: as strong as Ani is, she can never truly win against those with power and wealth.
Baker never fails to portray how life gets to you in times of failure, while capturing a glimmer of hope embodied by the people around you. At the end of Take Out, which he co-directed with Tsou Shih-Ching, we see the hard-earned cash of an undocumented Chinese immigrant, who works as a delivery man, get stolen, though he receives financial help from a co-worker. In the final moments of Tangerine, after the chaos at the donut shop and receiving transphobic hate, Sin-Dee is taken care of by Alexandra on Christmas Eve.
Red Rocket can be a bit more ambiguous and dreamlike when, after returning to his hometown in Texas, Mikey is told to leave with his belongings packed in a trash bag and sees Strawberry — the girl he becomes close to and wants to help pursue a porn career — in a way that may seem only in his head.
Igor sits on the couch in Anora | Photo taken from IMDb
We then turn our attention to Igor, the silent type, who at first seems more like a side character with one or two lines, used to do the dirty work. But Baker misdirects us with a character who affects Ani in a surprisingly pivotal way. Although Igor doesn’t talk much throughout the film, we see through his actions how he behaves differently toward Ani. Subtly, we begin to understand how he cares about her, despite having just met and suffered physical pain while trying to restrain her during their first encounter.
Nonetheless, Igor is such a lovable character, despite not saying much. Less is more, as they say. Anora is silently screaming that he is the better man for Ani. The film’s final moments are one big sigh. Ani may not have truly lost, but she didn’t exactly win either. Though the ending, which some may see coming, is one final nail that tells us how Baker is the right director for a story like this. Baker understands his characters more than we can understand them. The way the film starts with a banger of music in the background and lighting, it ends with the heart and humanity the film desperately needed.
‘Anora’ is part of QCinema 2024’s lineup as part of the Screen International program.
