Reviews by Grace Winburne and Zach Dennis
Grace’s Take:
Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Ani who worked in a club. Every night she hustled hard, dancing with every man who came to see her. Seemingly content in her life, everything changes the night she meets Vanya. This New York Ani is plucked out of her hard-knock life and dropped into the lap of luxury. Here she enjoys all the excess that money can buy: alcohol, parties, and trips to Las Vegas culminating in a romantic elopement. After all, Ani and Vanya are just two crazy kids in love. Ani settles in for a life of comfort and ease as Mrs. Vanya, but Prince Charming’s parents have other ideas. What happens when the party's over, the alcohol wears off, and we see the consequences of our actions in the harsh light of day? What do we do when we learn that what happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay in Vegas.
Every character in this movie is an object, a body for use, abuse, and for hire, serving those who can afford them. Consistently ignored, and the object of sexual desire, Anora, or Ani, is an accessory in her own life. Obviously, as a dancer she is the most commodifiable object. She is anyone or anything a person needs. For Vanya, she is a toy, a plaything he uses to act out against his wealthy parents. Their marriage was out of spite, essentially a green card marriage so he could stay in the States, and not work at his father’s tech firm. So his parents send along the fixers, to get Vanya out of trouble. Again, bodies for hire, who carry out the work of those who can afford them. But every character proves to be so much more than their stereotypical roles of head crusher, comedic relief, and damsel in distress. These characters support this familiar fairy tale with their idiosyncrasies, making this more of a character story with a powerhouse ensemble. When this film takes a sharp turn from fairy tale to farce, every character is on full display as a complicated and relatable human being. It is at this point that Ani becomes the center of her own life’s story. I was very impressed by Mikey Madison’s brashness and physicality and moved by her moments of silent hurt. The camera lingers on her in her most private and vulnerable moments, and we see her for who she is, a young girl with hopes and dreams.
Leaving the theatre for Anora, I overheard part of a conversation, someone said “He [Sean Baker] is a deeply humanist director,”. I wish I could have joined that conversation, and I am grateful to that mind that articulated that point so well. I agree with you, whoever you are, wherever you are. While this is my first Sean Baker, I can guarantee this won’t be my last.
Zach’s take
Already with hardware in its cabinet, the most recent Palme d’or winner at the Cannes Film Festival will probably finish near the top of my list for the year as well.
Directed by Sean Baker, known for Tangerine and The Florida Project, and starring Mikey Madison, Anora follows a sex worker in New York City (Madison) who connects in her club with the son of a Russian oligarch named Vanya (Mark Eidelshtein). What begins as a series of transactions between two consenting adults blossoms into a romance that ends with them tying the knot on an impromptu trip to Las Vegas.
Naturally, Vanya’s family learns about the marriage and rushes to New York in an effort to annul it. What follows next feels like a mix between Baker’s work with Tangerine and some of the more recent offerings by the Safdie Brothers such as Good Time or Uncut Gems as Vanya runs off with Anora, along with three Russian henchmen for the family, scouring New York City trying to find him.
Anora is just a commodity for everyone in the situation.
To Vanya, her body makes him feel good and she gives him the attention he seeks in rebellion of his parents. For the henchmen, she is a pawn in trying to lure Vanya back and only worth the money she will be paid to annul what they see as a green card marriage. And in the club, she is just another item to be ogled by the men that frequent the establishment.
Anora has to break the cycle as much as get out of the situation she has found herself in, and Baker is as adept as any contemporary filmmaker to exude the humanism from these characters. Everyone is just a pawn for the rich and you have to find agency to escape.