Sean Baker’s Anora is a gritty peek into the world of exotic dancers and sex workers, walking the fine line between empowerment and exploitation in a society that both fetishizes and condemns them. At its heart is Ani, portrayed by Mikey Madison, a Brooklyn stripper who is sharp, ambitious and fully aware of the transactional world she lives in.
Enter Vanya, played by Mark Eydelshteyn, the immature son of a Russian oligarch, on holiday in America when he meets Ani at the Headquarters strip club. After paying her for her company, they jet-set to Vegas for an impromptu weekend and end up married in the Chapel of Love. Ani believes it is love, but Vanya might be doing it to rebel against his domineering parents.
Baker is known for his empathetic portrayals of marginalized characters navigating the fringes of the American Dream. However, in Anora, the dream quickly morphs into a nightmare. The couple’s impromptu marriage sets off alarm bells for Vanya’s parents, who dispatch a trio of henchmen to annul the union. After Vanya flees his mansion, Ani is bound and gagged, but not before spewing a massive number of f-bombs. Interestingly, variations of the word “fuck”—including “fuck,” “fucking,” and “motherfucker”—are used approximately 479 times, placing the film among the top five films with the highest frequency of the f-word.
Madison delivers a Oscar-winning performance, infusing Ani with a blend of grit and vulnerability in a way that makes you root for her even when the odds are stacked. During her Academy Awards acceptance speech, she thanked America’s sex workers, some of whom consulted on the script and appeared on screen alongside her.
Yura Borisov’s Igor is a surprising character who could have easily been a one-note thug. Instead, he’s nuanced, oscillating between ruthless Russian enforcer and empathetic supporter to Ani, adding to the film’s exploration of moral ambiguity.
As the story continues to unfold, we experience a whirlwind of desperation as the henchmen attempt to capture Vanya, whose journey comes full-circle when he’s discovered, fully intoxicated, in the club where he first met Ani. Unable or unwilling to stand up to his parents, he betrays Ani before returning back to Russia with an annulled marriage. As she is driven back to her Brooklyn apartment by Igor, we see Ani’s armor finally crack as she breaks down in vulnerability and despair.
Anora crafts a tale that is as unpredictable as it is engaging, inviting you to question the allure of the American Dream and the price one pays when fantasy and reality collide. It’s a film that you’ll remember long after the credits roll.
RHFC Rating: 9/10 🍿
