Anora, a sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
Director: Sean Baker
Cast: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov.
Release Date: October 18, 2024
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rated R for strong sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, pervasive language, and drug use.
Runtime: 2h 19m
Review:
Sean Baker's Anora takes the viewer through the full scope of wish fulfillment, manic comedy and ultimately the harsh light of reality powered by a star making turn from Mikey Madison. Baker's film has a chaotic energy pulsating through it although for different reasons at different points in the story. The initial brotastic rom-com act is a bacchanal full of sex, drugs and seemingly endless parties. It’s a breezy, unbridled vibe that permeates that opening sequence which perfectly sets up the other shoe to finally drop. Once everything starts going sideways, the film becomes a sort of gonzo road film with a series of hilarious sequences that prove to be the high points of the film. He pulls off the tonal shift with impressive ease thanks in large part to some excellent performances from his cast lead by a stellar Mikey Madison. Her street-smart hustler who's just as capable of delivering a quip as she is a punch is the film's beating heart from opening to close. Sporting a heavy New Yorker accent she's a no-nonsense survivor who's added so many layers of emotional padding in order to protect herself. Madison manages to show glimpses of the character youthful naivety that allows her to believe the whirlwind romance could possibly be real and last. There are cracks that start to pop up as the reality of the situation becomes more obvious and unavoidable with Madison turning in excellent work to capture all the emotional turmoil happening underneath the service. The supporting cast proves to be just as capable with Mark Eidelstein filling the bill as the wild child, rich boy who’s never presented as particularly charming or charismatic just obnoxiously rich and entitled. Vache Tovmasyan, Karren Karagulian and Yuriy Borisov have excellent chemistry together as the bumbling caretakers tasked with keeping Eidelstein's Ivan under control. Karren Karagulian's Toro is hopelessly exasperated having dealt with Ivan's antics for the entirety of his life. Vache Tovmasyan is thoroughly overwhelmed by the situation while Yuriy Borisov's possess more clarity as the hired heavy that shares an unexpected connection with Madison's Anora. The foursome dominates the second half of the film and their endlessly effective chemistry makes it all incredibly watchable. That being said there are plenty of spots peppered throughout the film that scream for some judicious editing as the film becomes a bit more cumbersome and overlong than it should be. A tighter job of editing would have made Anora's journey far more effective and ultimately its finale more impactful.
B+
