The rise and fall of a northeast princess
In a cinematic environment where many audiences feel they can only be entertained by big-budget blockbusters, Anora explodes into the landscape reminding viewers of the medium’s power to make individual stories into large-scale epics.
Anora was written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker (whose previous works include Tangerine and The Florida Project). It follows Ani (played by Mikey Madison) who connects with the son of a Russian oligarch, Ivan (played by Mark Eydelshteyn) at her job in a New York strip club. Ivan instantly becomes enamoured with her: they connect over her Russian pronunciation, and he insists on seeing her more in the future. Their relationship develops from transactional visits up to a Las Vegas trip culminating in their marriage. Once Ivan’s family catches wind of the affair, their enforcers come to break them up.
It is impossible to discuss the success of Anora without raving over Mikey Madison’s performance. Truly a star-making turn if there ever was one. She is instantly captivating, emanating a screen presence usually reserved for industry veterans. Madison’s Ani is firmly grounded in her sincerity. Regarding the character’s profession in sex work, Madison’s research and conversations with industry workers come across in the care of her portrayal. Ani differs from historical portrayals of sex workers, avoiding tropes of over-sexualisation or over-glamourization. In Anora, she is just a young woman working to make ends meet. She also achieves an honest depiction of Gen Z. Young people will instantly be able to identify with the way she thinks, talks, and acts, recognising traits we see in friends rather than a parody or stereotypical depiction of the online generation.
When trouble arises for the newlyweds, Madison conveys full ranges of emotion without words. Her character’s disillusionment creeps up on her along with the audience. Her final scene alone deserves to be studied in acting classes to come. Madison’s Ani is a layered driver of her destiny. No matter who holds power over her in the film, Madison maintains control of the audience, acting as the core of this larger-than-life odyssey.
Other acting highlights come from Mark Eidelshtein as Ivan, Yura Borisov as Igor, and Karren Karagulian as Toros. Eidelshtein bounces around the screen with a youthful and privileged energy. In his world, anything can be at his fingertips from his waterfront mansion. Like a child, he glides across the floor and hops up the stairs ahead of Ani during her first visit. His charm enchants Ani and the audience alike into a state of security we know belongs in our dreams. When the coldness of reality creeps in, his drained facade falls to show his entitlement and exploitation of Ani. Eidelshtein’s Ivan peels back his layers of fun and whimsy to lay barren a selfishness enshrined in such privilege.
Yura Borisov’s Igor connects the closest with Ani through his low-income background. He understands her fight through his own exploitation by the oligarchs. Along their journey, he grows closer to Ani, with a desire to protect her from the traps she was lured into. Yet their camaraderie in the working class does not liberate him from the power he still holds as a man. In the final scene, he welcomes sexual advances from the younger Ani despite earlier claims of disinterest. In the final scene, he makes it clear that Ani is surrounded by the intersection of capitalist and patriarchal structures. The men of varying economic backgrounds converge on a desire to exploit her for their own pleasure and gain.
This film’s clever writing, emotionally-paced editing, and overall direction showcase Sean Baker’s abilities to hone the core of a story and elevate it to the big screen. This roller coaster ride of a film inflates audiences to grandiose highs, and is unafraid to pull them back into a reality of social critique. While the themes of power, wealth, and manipulation have been explored for as long as people have told stories, Anora manages to do so from a unique contemporary point. In a political environment polarized on discussions of inequality, Baker cuts through debate by demonstrating the lives of those often forgotten in praise of extravagance. No matter Ani’s abilities, intelligence, or character, she would never be able to beat down the boundaries of capitalism.
Even in the end, as hope is laid in the justice system, the gears of power continue to turn. The question is not “what is right” but who gets to decide and who can afford to fight for those calls. Every system of power is built by and for those in power. The myth of the American dream is awoken as just that, a myth derailed by the epic of Anora.
