Anora (2024)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

Anora (Mikey Madison), a young sex worker meets the son of a powerful Russian family–and she immediately falls in love with his lifestyle. When Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) proposes on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Vegas, Anora (or Ani) agrees. Suddenly her fairytale life is threatened, as Ivan’s powerful parents pursue an immediate annulment. 

Three things make Writer-Director Sean Baker’s style of storytelling work: lighting, juxtapositional comedy and drama, and sound. 

Lighting:

Baker does something that most other filmmakers shy away from, he uses light to blind his viewers, to distort the picture and make it more challenging to see the subject matter. It appears that he makes these decisions because it allows his film to become more real, fitting nicely into the realm of realism. Baker’s films fit perfectly into the realm of realism, depicting real-life situations. There’s one scene in particular that opened my eyes to Baker’s use of light. During one of the sex shots between Madison and Eydelshteyn, the screen becomes blanketed by a beautiful prism of light. It represents the intimacy being displayed on screen, but also allows us to see the transition that will ultimately occur down the line in Anora. This moment is mesmerizing, truly brilliant–and one of the most aesthetically pleasing moments that I’ve seen in film, possibly ever. 

Comedy vs. Drama:

Anora, at its core, is a drama–steeped in human emotion, presenting viewers with a series of intense situations throughout. However, Baker blends drama and comedy in a way that expands Anora, makes it more powerful, more honest, far more real than I believe it could have been had it been void of comedy. Madison’s mannerisms are perfect, blending two distinctly different approaches to acting into one. Beyond Madison are three characters that are technically meant to supplement Ani, but ultimately become main characters as a result of the actors’ ability to deliver dry comedy in a way that is brilliantly effective. Toros (Karren Karagulian), Garnick (Vache Tocmasyan), and Igor (Yura Borisov) are powerful characters that often steal scenes from others. I found myself immersed in deeply emotional moments, somehow laughing at the absurd things that these characters said and did throughout. What allows the transition between comedy and drama to work so well is the fact that Baker does this subtly, ultimately blending them in a way that almost makes it hard for viewers to see–and that helps to keep us engaged. 

Sound:

With some really wonderful songs present in the film, ones that bolster the narrative and provide a bit more gusto in important situations, music actually takes a back seat throughout the majority of Anora. Actors are left unencumbered by music more often than not, and that leaves them to their own devices–tasked with putting their best foot forward and driving the film forward with their acting. What does often exist are simple, everyday sounds: the echoes of Ani’s screams, the squeaking of windshield wipers, or the mumbling of a news anchor on the television. The common sounds, once again, immerse the audience in Baker’s world, able to better understand the characters, the narrative, and the purpose of the film. 

“...the story takes you on a journey and doesn’t miss an opportunity to gut you…”

“This is an excellent film, boundless in its energy and pragmatically grounded to the

reality of its characters.”

“Sean Baker gives a masterclass in tone juggling and rich storytelling…”

These are all things that I had heard before sitting down to watch Anora for the first of what I assume will be many times. These words are powerful, capable of shifting someone’s opinion of the film before they even see it. Not a word of any of those glowing reviews are out of place, accurately expressing the beauty of Baker’s Anora. I was immersed in a beautiful but fragile world, one that rips your heart out and stitches it back together again and again throughout. Anora is one of the best films that I’ve seen this year. Madison displays one of the best performances of the year. Baker is, without a doubt, the frontrunner to win Best Director during this upcoming awards season. 

Everything that you could have hoped for going into Anora plays out before you. Everything that you couldn’t have imagined would work or even be a part of the film creeps into it and sends it soaring toward incredible heights. Anora is nearly perfect–a film that I will have to watch again, one that I will certainly never forget. 

Written & Directed by Sean Baker. 

Starring Mikey Madison, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov, Mark Eydelshteyn, Lindsey Normington, etc. 

9.5/10 = DROP EVERYTHING AND WATCH IT NOW