"Anora" - Deserved sweep.

Josh
Mar 3, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Mar 15, 2025

Sean Baker (2024)

Whelp, I have no reason now to binge all of Baker's movies.

I am desperately behind on the times when it comes to Sean Baker films. Since the drop of Tangerine (2015) he has been on the radar and blips on that radar have only increased since The Florida Project (2017) and then Red Rocket (2021). So I said “Fuck it” and bit the bullet to watch the modern day Pretty Woman (1990), Anora. Up there with Challengers and The Substance as my favourite movies of 2024, Anora hits all the right notes covered in a layer of creativity and intelligence. The script itself isn't complex but Baker elevates it with realistic and comedic characters and scenarios that stop it from feeling generic.

The film opens on Anora, Mikey Madison, (or Ani as she prefers to be called) in her element. A Brooklyn striper in a private booth giving a lap dance to a middle-aged man surrounded by soft focused neon lights. While it's not explicitly mentioned she’s a sex worker, when she’s requested to entertain the son of a Russian oligarch, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), due to being able to speak Russian (although prefers to speak English due to her rusty Russian), she agrees to become his on the pay role “horny girlfriend”. And no matter how much he tried to convince Ani, or she tried to convince herself that this was real, their relationship is perfectly encapsulated in one exchange. They strike a deal where he will pay her $15k for the week, for her to admit she would do it for $10k, countered with he would’ve gone up to $30k. She’s willing to exchange her body for money, he’s willing to spend money to get what he wants. And what starts as a week-long party that blends into an impromptu Vegas wedding. Yet everything takes a 180 when Ivan’s family finds out about the disservice he's bestowed upon their family, send a couple of stock standard goons attempt to settle the situation, guided by a Godfather-like figure, Toros (Karren Karagulian), whos goal it is to destroy the marriage. He's someone who's been watching this spoiled kid for his entire life and has finally had it with his shit. Although set up for some melodic drama, this half of the movie is absolutely hilarious.

The transition from a twisted pulpy romance film to slapstick comedy is sudden but it works. Baker gives us comedy through editing via jumpcuts to Ani and Ivan randomly having sex like a jumpscare. There's sprinklings of comedy throughout showing contrasting experiences between a mature tough Brooklyn girl and a young clueless Russian, where she has to explain methods of sex like she's just met an 18-year-old boy. The switch to slapstick is built up with Ivan walking to the front door in profile with a boner, to then seeing him running down the street in a wide shot with one of the goons slipping on ice like we're watching a Jerry Lewis gag. Contrasting those larger moments of comedy, Anora is full of little gags that elevate dramatic scenes. When Ani finally interacts with the family, the Mother (Darya Ekamasova) is the one in control of the situation and the family. Moving Ivan around, putting down Ani when she tries to speak Russian or commanding Toros around. As we witness Ani finally see Ivan for the worm he is and stands up to him and his Mother, his Father (Nikolai Zakharov) is just sitting in the background of the shot laughing at how she insults his dumbass of a son.

Although I called the two funniest characters stock standard, being the goons, Baker gives them a little something that elevates them above bland. The core drama for the last half of the movie is the son abandoning his wife once the news of his family coming to collect him for shaming their name. Leaving Ani in the worst situation of not understanding the gravity of their family and in the hands of some random Russian hires. There are small moments that build upon each other such as one of the goons, Nick (Paul Weissman), getting kicked in the head resulting in a broken nose, which builds into a concussion, that leads to little gags throughout the whole chase. Or Igor (Yura Borisov), who starts as a dunce who reveals himself as a reluctant servant to this family. Honestly becoming the best character in the movie, as his true character slowly peeled away right to the very end.

And what makes this movie for me, is the last scene of the movie. As Igor returns Ani home, he shows her humanity. A simple kindness of returning the ring purchased for her. A simple kindness while sitting in his grandmother's car, she tries to return the favour in the only way she knows how. With her body. Even then during the act when he shows her affection and not just lust; she breaksdown into a state of disgust. Crying, screaming, hitting. It makes her character fully realised even though it happens during the last couple of minutes. We finally see a soft vulnerability from a character with a tough no-nonsense Brooklyn attitude. A character who did everything they can to get out of the life they had to ensure they stayed above it, now realising they’re more than a body to be exchanged.

Although, my one issue with the movie, even then, I don't know if it'll be an issue on a rewatch. But I did find the second half a bit repetitive and a little slow. It hit the point where I was yelling at the screen, I bet Ivan is back at the stripe club. And I was just waiting for them to get there, in fact, I was shocked that it wasn't where they went first. But this is such a minor thing.

Something that has always drawn me to Bakers movies, or at least their trailers so I can add them to a watch list, is their visuals. Tangerine shot on an iPhone. The Florida Project has a muted poppy pascal-colour pallet and Red Rocket's minimal and industrial feeling. Drew Daniels manages to split the cinematography style to work with the two halves of the story. The first half has these dim brightly lit neon rooms, using soft focus to give this dream-like dizzy feeling to the euphoria that Ani is feeling. Everything crescendos to the wedding scene, surrounded by the blinding lights of Vegas as the camera spins with youthful energy, bumping into strangers without a care in the world. But when the shit hits the fan and the tone becomes way more comedic, the camera is more locked down. Gone is the neon dream and here is the beautiful naturalistic lit reality of the situation. The only time we return to the neon palace is when they find the kid at HQ hooking up with a rival of Ani. Bathed in red the jealousy and anger of having to return to the place she thought she had left forever, the camera returns to a chaotic handheld state to then return right back to static.

On the day of finishing this review, Anora has gone home with 5 Oscars (Nominated for 6) including Best Picture, Achievement in Directing, and Best Performance from an Actress in a Leading Role. And that sums it up. It's one of those movies that have completely stuck with me and I'm ready to watch it all again. It's a backwards modern-day Cinderella but only if her prince charming was a spineless oaf. And the most incredible thing. Something I didn't think I would witness in 2024. Sean Baker made a comedy that I was actually laughing at. If that isn't a glowing recommendation, then I don't know what is.