The latest recipient of the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or main prize, “Anora,” was initially released into select theaters on Oct. 18 and has now received a full nationwide roll-out, beginning on the weekend of Nov. 1.
This film’s lengthy runtime follows the titular Anora (Mikey Madison), a young sex worker from Brooklyn, who quickly marries into the mysterious and lavish life of Ivan Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn). But after a two-week honeymoon period, their marriage is chaotically interrupted after Ivan’s powerful father hears of the wedding and wishes for the couple to be broken up.
The first act of this idyllic fairytale is laden with graphic sexual scenes depicted in various strip clubs and parties — not an uncommon occurrence in a film directed and written by Sean Baker.
“Anora” falls perfectly in line with Baker’s attempt at covering the world of sex work tastefully and without sensationalizing the profession. Whether it be the tarnished and disgraced lifestyle of a former porn star in “Red Rocket,” or the shameful stigma surrounding prostitution shown in “The Florida Project,” Baker has made a career-long effort to give validity to people in these situations.
On the constant theme of those on the “margins” of society in his filmography, Baker sees this as an extension of America’s oldest adage.
“I like to see it as people who are chasing the American dream, but don’t have easy access to it,” he said in an interview with NPR. “They’re perhaps an undocumented immigrant, or perhaps they have a livelihood or a lifestyle that has an unfair stigma applied to it. And so they have to find other ways of actually pursuing the American dream.”
After Anora’s quest for the American dream is seemingly complete, the clock suddenly strikes midnight on her Cinderella story, prompting an almost slapstick comedy to play out for the second act. Pushing a small amount of tonal whiplash aside, this switch to a goofy romp through the streets of New York City astoundingly works.
Thanks to the introduction of new characters and a well-placed reliance on the lead performance, this middle section is hilariously fun and a highlight of the film. In this second act, a mounting stress comparable to Scorsese’s “After Hours” or The Safdie Brothers’ “Uncut Gems,” begins to accelerate the film towards its nerve-racking climax.
For Baker’s final act, the comedy is neglected in favor of a more pensive and reflective look at Anora’s journey, resulting in an emphatic emotional ending.
In a brave and truly special performance, Mikey Madison perfectly matches the wide tonal shifts of this film through a deeply layered central performance. Contrasting her over-the-top Brooklyn accent with many moments of vulnerability, Madison elevates the film into an endearing and heartbreaking character study.
Baker’s protagonists usually lack much empathy or are sometimes despicable, but the mold is broken with Anora. Madison deserves much acknowledgment for this change due to certain line deliveries or actions that reveal this character’s thoughts and motivation without explicitly telling the audience.
Madison’s scene partner Eydelshteyn at times steals the show with his silly and sometimes pathetic portrayal of Anora’s knight in shining armor, Ivan. He breathes life into what could have been a dull or annoying playboy character, creating a memorable performance in his breakout role.
The cinematography grounds this heightened reality that the film offers, creating a surreal environment, similar to Baker’s previous works. The film’s accompanying soundtrack is most prevalent in the first act, also adding to this story’s fairytale and dreamlike atmosphere.
All of these stellar aspects put together create one of the year’s finest and most unique films. Come the 2025 awards season, “Anora” should be a serious contender at the Oscars for Best Picture and most other major categories.
