Anora Review

Anora is a comedy-drama by celebrated indie filmmaker Sean Baker and the winner of the 2024 Palme d’Or.

Anora “Ani” Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) is a stripper and escort working in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. One night she’s hired by the son of a Russian oligarch, Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn) because she’s able to speak Russian. The pair form a bond eventually eloping, but when Vanya’s family finds out about the marriage, they set out to annul it.

Baker has had great success making indie dramas and dramedies. His previous films include Tangerine which was a triumph of low-budget filmmaking and The Florida Project. He has often focused on maligned people like sex workers and Anora fitted into that mould.  Ani was working in a dark and dank strip club where she had to chat up potential patrons and when she was having a smoke break with her friend, they talked about the disgusting things their clients say and did.

Time with Vanya offered Ani a chance to see a world of luxury and hedonism. They got to have lots of sex, consume drugs, party, and go to Vegas on a whim. The young Russian gave Ani a chance to escape from her life of stripping and living with her sister which she had a tense relationship with. There will be a debate on whether Ani actually loved Vanya, was she delusional about their relationship, or was he just her ticket out of Brighton Beach. There was some affection and a spark between the pair since Ani allowed Vanya to break the rules at the strip club, he had fun with the young Russian, and she gave him sex tips. However, Ani had lived a hard life whilst Vanya was a trust fund kid who never had to work. He looked and acted younger.

The marketing for Anora has been misleading. The trailers made the film seem like it was going to be an indie romance like Past Lives, if a bit more risqué. This seemed the case during the first third of the film as the pair partook in many vices and got married. The switch came after the marriage and Vanya’s parents sent their enforcers to find their wayward son. The film turns into a farce as three nincompoops lose their charge and end up kidnapping a young woman.

The second act of the film was when Anora was at its strongest. The film became similar to Tangerine where Ani and the cohort of Russians go around Brighton Beach in a desperate attempt to find Vanya. Despite the gritty cinematography and aesthetics, Anora was an absurdist comedy. Some highlights include a priest walking out on a baptism, Ani resisting the kidnapping attempt, and the mayhem caused in the strip club. Some of these actions sound dark but the film ended up being surprisingly funny.

The comedy was a mix of sharp dialogue and outlandish situations. There was more slapstick and physical comedy than one would expect from an art-house film. The comedy was amplified by the abilities of the cast who played off each other. These situations should give Anora some mainstream appeal. Anora acted as a great showcase for Madison as an actress: her comic timing and thick Brooklyn accent make her seem like a strong candidate to play Harley Quinn.

The second act was when Anora had the most energy. There was an urgency since Ani needed to find Vanya, and this portion of the film took place over 24 hours. The first act was slower-paced as it established the relationship between the main pair, which was necessary to get viewers interested. The film was 139 minutes and this long run time was felt at times.

Anora was a fantastically acted film that was genuinely funny and that elevated some of the darker and sombre moments.