Anora (2024)- BFI London Film Festival 2024

Review

219min

Genre:     Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance

Director:   Sean Baker

Cast:       Mikey Madison, Mark Eidelshtein, Karren Karagulian…and more

Writers:   Sean Baker

-Synopsis-

A spirited young New York exotic dancer and working girl finds a seemingly fairytale way out of the sex industry when she beguiles and swiftly marries a wild and wealthy young Russian, only for his disapproving parents and their minions to try and put an end to this ill-advised impromptu marriage . . . with hilariously chaotic consequences in this latest vibrant contemporary indie film study on sex workers and disenfranchised Americans from the writer/director of ‘Tangerine’ and ‘The Florida Project’.

After memorably exploring the margins of contemporary American society by taking his filmmaking sensibilities and distinct cinematic energy to the seedy streets of L.A., the rundown highway hotels of central Florida and the forgotten suburbs of small town Texas, indie writer/director Sean Baker glows-up and takes his circus to the Big Apple, blowing his biggest budget yet to show us the decadent life of the one percenters, while exposing the vacuousness under the surface and never forgetting who his films speak for . . . with raucous and uproarious results.

Mikey Madison stars as brash young Brooklyn sex worker ‘Anora’, a sexy street-smart stripper and escort whose life takes a turn when she meets wild and impulsive but lovable big-spending young Russian immigrant ‘Ivan’ (Mark Eidelshtein), as she quickly goes from his private dancer weekend girlfriend to his wife after a wild Vegas trip and an impromptu lightning wedding. But her meal ticket is soon threatened when his disapproving parents hear of their ill-advised nuptials, sending their stateside Armenian fixers ‘Toros’ (Karren Karagulian) and ‘Garnick’ (Vache Tovmasyan), plus enforcer ‘Igor’ (Yura Borisov) to take care of the situation, only for stroppy young Ivan to go AWOL and the family’s goons to form a toxic and reluctant alliance with Anora to track him down, trying to find a mutually-beneficial resolution to a wild and twisting domestic drama . . . which is easier said than done.

If his previous films have proven anything it’s that Sean Baker has an undeniable knack of capturing the naturalistic, sometimes outrageous, often hilarious and occasionally poignant essence of human behaviour on an intimate scale and with an expert balance of humour and drama, woven together with wonderfully natural and honest modern dialogue to droll and occasionally poignant effect—all with no small measure of heart and attitude. And it’s safe to say that ‘Anora’ ticks all the boxes while upping the ante, flush with cash and dripping with neon-lit style while pumped with energy and modern vigour as it sets a playful and intoxicating tone yet with a darkness bubbling beneath the surface, driven by a thumping soundtrack of modern pop, rap and dance tracks.

Needless to say, ‘Anora’ is an edgy and provocative ride, featuring plenty of graphic sex and nudity, not to mention drug and alcohol abuse and all-around crazy partying till the sun comes up, as Anora shows Ivan the performative pleasures of eroticism on tap, and he shows her the life of seemingly consequence-free excess and opulence of the impulsive young nouveau riche. Yet it all just about stays on the right side of sleazy, thanks to the tone set by Baker but also the fresh-faced youth of both the protagonist involved, albeit with plenty of seediness revolving around them . . . even if it’s often gold-plated.

The film is also packed with humour of not only the light and farcical kind but also the dark and gritty variety, finding plenty of laughs in brash but somehow endearing outrageous behaviour and in hilariously crass but sharp dialogue delivered through colourful New York street language. But there’s also a serious streak under the surface of ‘Anora’, not only weaving themes of personal power dynamics, sexual exploitation and transactional relationships into the narrative, but also the toxic drama within a wealthy and detached family with the wrong priorities. And despite the modern morally compromised and subversive take on a “working girl meets rich Mr. right” fairy tale, and clearly being inspired by Garry Marshall’s 1990 classic, this is not ‘Pretty Woman’ and there’s no happily ever after in this decidedly un-traditional romantic comedy.

More than anything though, the success of ‘Anora’ is ultimately down to its merits as a wild and compelling madcap character piece, and the weight of that success is effortlessly shouldered by its eclectic cast of colourful characters. Although Sean Baker’s talent for teasing out naturalistic performances from his actors remains, his knack for using first timers gives way to more experienced albeit still relatively unknown actors here, with the likes of Karren Karagulian and Vache Tovmasyan lighting up scenes with their NYC misadventures as a sort Armenian/Russian three stooges alongside Yura Borisov, whom also proves an unlikely knight in shining armour.

Meanwhile young Russian actor Mark Eidelshtein is a revelation and hilariously steals many a scene as endearing and impulsive oligarch heir Ivan, the lovable life of the party with seemingly few of the entitled and abrasive personality traits of pampered rich kids, only to reveal himself as just another weak brat for whom the world is a plaything when his character is truly tested. Ultimately ‘Anora’ is defined by the strength of its titular part and the saucy star-making performance of its lead, as Mikey Madison’s unforgettable turn proves equal parts sexy, seductive, feisty, outrageous, endearing but also wistful and slightly tragic. As she fully commits to the role by mastering the seductive erotic dancing arts while nailing the Brooklyn accent—with the attitude and vocabulary to match—lighting up an enthralling and hugely entertaining modern misadventure . . . with a cathartic and poignant sting in the tail.

The Bottom Line…

A hilariously wild and brash unconventional romantic drama and saucy sex worker Cinderella story, enthralling youth misadventure ‘Anora’ highlights Sean Baker’s talents for shining a bold and bright light on the margins of American society, as he brings together a charismatic cast to hit the big bucks and glow-up, further underlining his growing reputation as one of the most daring and delectable indie filmmakers working today.

‘Anora’ is out now in selected US cinemas and on the 1st of November in the UK.

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