After winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, Anora has been receiving a great deal of Oscar buzz going into 2025. Written and directed by Sean Baker, Anora stars Mikey Madison as Ani, a New York City sex worker who finds herself in over her head after marrying the wealthy, chronically spoiled son of a Russian oligarch. Anora is much more plot-driven than Baker's other more meandering, slice-of-life films like Red Rocket and The Florida Project, but what makes Anora one of the most exciting films of the year is the fact that it continually switches genres as the story progresses. What begins as a whirlwind romance evolves into a dark comedy thriller and culminates with an emotional gut punch of an ending. The way Baker is able to alternate between genres while maintaining a cohesive and compelling narrative is what keeps you on the edge of your seat while watching Anora, and part of what makes it one of the best films of 2024.
'Anora's Genre Switching Keeps You on Your Toes
Image via Neon
Image via NEON
Image via Neon
Image via Neon
Image via Neon
Image via NEON
The first act of Anora follows the burgeoning romance between Ani and Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), resembling a more modern take on Pretty Woman, but just as Ani is getting accustomed to her new cushy life in Ivan’s mansion, the other shoe finally drops when news of their marriage makes it back to Russia. Ivan’s godfather, Toros, (Karren Karagulian) shows up at his house to take Ivan to task for his impulsive, short-sighted decision to marry Ani, but once Ivan runs off, the film turns into an anxiety-inducing thriller, taking us on a wild goose chase throughout New York City to track him down. It’s in the second act where Anora also turns into one of the funniest films of the year thanks to some truly brilliant performances across the board. It intoxicates you with its humor, which in turn makes the third act feel like the hangover from hell as Ani realizes the fantasy life she just bought into was never really going to last.
'Anora' Uses Humor To Disarm You Before Its Devastating Finale
One of Anora’s greatest strengths as a film is how funny it is, particularly throughout the second act. Once Ivan disappears, even more chaos ensues when we’re introduced to Toros and his henchmen, Igor (Yura Borisov) and Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan), who are left to deal with the understandably confused and indignant Ani. Watching the 5’3 Mikey Madison grapple with and injure three grown men as Ani tries to escape is undeniably hilarious, but once they manage to subdue her, you’re left with a sense of discomfort at what you were just laughing at. The hilarity is disarming in that it distracts you from the terrifying reality of the situation Ani has found herself in. Her new husband has quite literally run away to delay facing the consequences of his actions, leaving her alone with three strange men holding her captive to forcibly annul their marriage. Once Igor is able to overpower her by tying her hands with a phone cord, gagging her with a scarf, and wrapping his arms around her so she won't run, the whole scene starts to feel pretty grim, and you’re left almost wondering whether you should really be laughing.
Once the sun rises on a new day, Anora briefly turns into a courtroom dramedy when they finally get to the courthouse, and we find out no one ever actually told Ivan's lawyer they'd gotten married in Las Vegas, meaning they would have to fly back to Nevada to get the marriage annulled. But after the courtroom, the humor that defined the second act begins to dissipate. Ivan’s parents arrive and treat Ani with just as little dignity and respect as Toros and Garnick have, but there’s a new relationship quietly developing between Ani and Igor throughout the third act. It feels optimistic to really call this a love story, considering Igor physically assaulted her, but she does recognize the fact that he was the only person to show her any kindness throughout the ordeal, and the final scene of Ani breaking down in his arms is absolutely heartbreaking.
After taking us on a dizzying journey from New York to Las Vegas and back again, Anora's ending is decidedly bleak as Ani comes to terms with the fact that she was taken advantage of for a good time and then discarded like nothing, simply a problem for the Zakharov family to take care of so they can get back to their regular lives. The way Anora sweeps you off your feet in the first act and uses humor to disarm you before bringing you back down to earth is what makes it one of the strongest films of the year and one of the current front-runners for the 97th Academy Awards.
Anora is now playing in theaters. Click below for showtimes.
- Release Date
- October 18, 2024
- Runtime
- 139 Minutes
- Director
- Sean Baker
- Writers
- Sean Baker
Cast
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Mikey MadisonAnora -
Mark EydelshteynIvan
WHERE TO WATCH
Anora follows a young sex worker from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch, igniting a potential fairy tale. Upon learning of the union, his influential parents travel to New York to annul the marriage, jeopardizing her unexpected chance at a new beginning.
