Anora: Chaotic and unforgettable

Sean Baker’s Anora opens in the heart of New York City at HQ, a strip club where Ani (Mikey Madison) works tirelessly to carve out a living. HQ is a chaotic space teeming with bachelor parties, married men chasing fleeting excitement, and young boys seeking to prolong their night of fun. Ani moves through the club with a sharp focus. Men are nothing more than walking dollar signs. For her, it’s all about the hustle.

Baker’s camera immerses us in Ani’s world, capturing the repetitive rhythm of her nights. The neon-soaked scenes don’t glamorise the work but instead present it as Ani sees it: a job. It’s during one of these routine nights that Ani meets Ivan, “Vanya” (Mark Eidelstein), the naive and wildly rich son of a Russian oligarch. Ivan, barely out of his teens, is both spoiled and endearing, and Ani’s Russian heritage creates an instant connection between them.

Charmed by her and eager to impress, Ivan offers Ani $15,000 to spend the week with him and his friends as his “horny girlfriend.” Ani sees the opportunity for what it is, a lucrative escape from her gritty reality. Despite her streetwise persona, Ani is a dreamer and she is drawn to Ivan’s innocence and unguarded optimism, a stark contrast to the transactional relationships she navigates nightly.

The first act unfolds like a modern-day Pretty Woman crossed with a Cinderella-like fantasy. Ivan whisks Ani into a world of opulence: lavish parties, extravagant indulgences, and an impromptu trip to Las Vegas, where the pair drunkenly tie the knot. For a brief moment, Ani tastes the intoxicating sweetness of escape and transformation. But the dream quickly turns into a nightmare.

Back in New York, the consequences of their impulsive union surface. Ivan’s marriage to a stripper raises alarms within his father’s tight-knit circle. The priest Toros ( Karren Kragulian), a figure tasked with keeping Ivan in line during his time in America, intervenes. The carefree tone of the first act gives way to escalating tension. When Ivan learns that his parents are flying in to annul the marriage and drag him back to Russia, he bolts, leaving Ani to face the fallout alone.

The film’s centerpiece is a claustrophobic and nerve-wracking sequence at Ivan’s New York mansion. Baker builds tension masterfully, balancing the chaos of Ani’s confrontation with the priest and his bodyguards with moments of eerie calm. Ani’s desperation and fury explode on screen, her screams piercing through the quiet as she fights to escape their grip. The physical struggle alternates with moments of exhaustion which are suffused with anxiety, pulling the audience into Ani’s turmoil. The audience can almost feel her heart racing, the weight of her fear palpable in the air. Baker’s direction ensures that every glance, every shift in body language, and every breath taken in this struggle conveys the stakes at play. The tension becomes almost unbearable

The interaction between the chaotic physicality of the confrontation and the unsettling calm that occasionally surrounds the scene forms a stark contrast, keeping viewers on edge and intensifying their emotional engagement with Ani's fate. As the sequence progresses, the tension becomes nearly intolerable, drawing the audience further into Ani's psychological condition. It's an expert demonstration of suspense-building; potential danger looms, and we're unsure if these individuals intend to harm her, leaving the outcome uncertain until the final moment.

Mikey Madison’s portrayal of Ani is a revelation. She captures the character’s resilience, vulnerability, and ambition with incredible depth. Her performance has rightfully drawn widespread acclaim, with critics predicting a strong showing for Madison in the upcoming awards season. Madison’s ability to oscillate between the hardened exterior Ani wears at HQ and the glimpses of tenderness she shares with Ivan is nothing short of masterful.

Anora is quintessentially New York: gritty, chaotic, and vibrant. Sean Baker’s choice to film on 35mm gives the movie a palpable texture, drawing the audience into Ani’s energetic world. The raw streets of New York contrast with the opulence of Ivan’s privileged life, highlighting the gap between their realities. The visual style, featuring close-ups, lingering shots, and dynamic pacing, keeps us captured by every scene. The city truly comes to life in the film when we leave the mansion, and Toros, Anora, and the two bodyguards spend the night moving from club to club, diner to diner, searching for Ivan, who ultimately returns to where it all began, at HQ.

The final scene of Anora is raw, unflinching, and deeply affecting. Ani, battered and emotionally drained, let herself be vulnerable in the aftermath of Ivan’s betrayal. Baker’s Anora doesn’t aim to comfort its audience. Instead, it holds up a mirror to the messy, often uncomfortable truths of human desires, consequences, and the yearning for transformation. It’s a gripping, unsettling exploration of a woman’s resilience and the cost of chasing an escape from the inescapable.

It’s no wonder that Anora captivated audiences at Cannes, earning a 10-minute standing ovation and winning the prestigious Palme d’Or. Baker’s deeply human storytelling, coupled with Madison’s transformative performance, ensures Anora’s place among the year’s most powerful films. I loved this movie, it was definetely one of the best I have seen this year, I was only familiar with The Floriday Project by Baker so i expeted this focus on the characters and the emotional and psychological multi layered aspect of flawed humaity and this movie did not disappoint.

It’s no wonder that Anora captivated audiences at Cannes, earning an impressive 10-minute standing ovation and securing the prestigious Palme d’Or award. The film, directed by the filmmaker Baker, showcases his ability to weave deeply human narratives that resonate on multiple levels. Baker’s storytelling is marked by a profound understanding of the human condition, revealing the complexities of emotions and relationships that define our existence. This intricate narrative is further elevated by Madison’s transformative performance, which brings authenticity and depth to her character which is both compelling and relatable. Her portrayal encapsulates the essence of vulnerability and strength, making the character’s journey not only believable but also profoundly moving. The combination of Baker’s directorial prowess and Madison’s exceptional acting ensures that Anora will, in my opinion, undoubtedly secure its place among the most powerful films of 2024. I loved this movie; it was definitely one of the best I have seen this year. My prior familiarity with Baker’s work was limited to The Florida Project, which had already set high expectations for his storytelling style. I anticipated a similar focus on character development, along with an exploration of the emotional and psychological aspects that make us inherently human. Anora did not disappoint in this regard. I now eagerly await to see how it will score during award season.

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