Editor’s note: This is a reoccurring column by Madison Sharrock, Managing Editor/Content, a film and production minor who reviews and critiques films.
“Anora” was a roller coaster of a ride to watch– I was annoyed, bored, concerned, but teared up by the end of the movie.
The 2024 film, directed by Sean Baker, follows a sex worker named Anora, who goes by “Ani” while she’s at work. Fed up with her coworkers, Anora reaches a breaking point until a guest requests a Russian speaking escort. Vanya, the son of an oligarch, gives her a glimpse into the lavish lifestyle she could have. Their drug and alcohol induced romance led them to get spontaneously married in Las Vegas, where the iconic movie poster and trailer scenes come from. Once the royal relatives realize how Vanya is spending his last American holiday, his parents fly from Russia to haul him home and annul the marriage.
Once viewers get to this point in the movie, chaos ensues.
The synopsis of the film on Hulu mentioned this was Anora’s chance at a “Cinderella” story, so I was expecting astory like the cult classic, “Pretty Woman” (1990). Baker made an interesting choice to flip that classic tale. I had a major issue with Anora’s character, played by Mikey Madison. It filled me with rage to see a self-sustained woman swept off her feet by a rich momma’s boy. Her ear-piercing screamsmand begging pleads of how she loves Vanya wasn’t enough to hide the fact she was purely used for sexual pleasure. As far as any film goes, these choices are intentional. Maybe she did love him, however I think she enjoyed the idea of being loved. The line was blurred between “love” and “lust.”
By flipping the classic tale, Baker made me empathetic to Anora’s situation toward the end. I especially think Anora’s character development was impressive. Without spoiling the movie, the ending makes me think Baker is teasing the audience for a sequel. The audience spends the entire movie trying to understand Anora as she is an unpredictable character. The last 20 minutes or so shows her vulnerability in a way that viewers were deprived of for 2 hours, and it was refreshing and heart wrenching to watch.
Personally, I saw a lot of upheaval on Instagram about Madison’s Best Actress win from this year’s Academy Awards. Madison was nominated for the award, alongside Demi Moore (“The Substance”) and Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”). Many people were criticizing the Academy for following the plot of “The Substance” and awarding the 25-year-old over Moore, 62. All social media trolling aside, anyone who saw Madison’s performance in “Anora” could agree that she deserved the award for the character development alone. In addition to Best Actress, “Anora” took home Oscars for Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.
The film’s budget was $6 million and produced by Neon, a studio which produced other well-known films such as “I, Tonya” and “Parasite.” I am disappointed in myself for having low expectations for “Anora,” after this studio historically put out critically acclaimed films like those I just mentioned. Neon CEO Tom Quinn explained to Variety that the campaigning strategy was to appeal to Generation Z’s love of a homemade aesthetic, which cost approximately $18 million, according to The Guardian. The campaign costs and the skeptical political nature of the Academy also seemed to fuel the internet’s uproar over the film’s awards. I will admit that the public response “Anora” received was on par with the aesthetic of the film: chaotic, messy and emotional.
Any fan of drama would appreciate this film, especially if sweaty palms and an increased hear rate is what they’re searching for. The way I felt while watching the movie can be best described as if I forgot to take my anxiety medication– a restless leg. In a world full of live-action remakes and prequel films, “Anora” was an original, refreshing step backward to see what possibilities film can still stretch into.
