25/30
Referenced in Close-Up: Anora (2024)
Scenario
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, impulsively meets and marries an oligarch’s son. Once word reaches Russia, her fairy tale is threatened when her parents leave for New York to annul the marriage. Sean Baker wanted to cast Yura Borisov after seeing him in Kupe br. 6 (2021). In a scene in Las Vegas, a character refers to „McCarran Airport.” While Las Vegas International Airport was known as McCarran International Airport for many decades, its name was changed to Harry Reid International Airport in late 2021. Igor: PLEASE! STOP! SCREAMS!
Ani is one of the strippers
Daddy AF Written and performed by Catherine Slater (aka Slayyter). In his previous films (“Tangerine,” “Red Rocket,” “The Florida Project”), writer-director Sean Baker has regularly tackled a number of themes, particularly the plight of immigrants and the struggles of sex workers. One of the hallmarks of Baker’s work is the consistent respect he shows his characters. While embodying all of the above, “Anora” is infused with a slight tinge of optimism, a streak of hope, and a main character with attitude and a healthy dose of self-respect. These improvements over his previous work make “Anora” Baker’s best film to date. When Anora (who demands to be called Ani — it sounds like “Annie”) meets Ivan, the son of a Russian oligarch, it’s not exactly a meet-cute. They first come face-to-face at a strip club. During Ivan’s initial crush, a lot of money changes hands.
Ani, ever practical, demands money up front
He buys Ani a night and then a week. Although she seems to enjoy Ivan, she is clear about her role and place. All that changes on a drug-fueled trip to Las Vegas that culminates in a marriage proposal, a four-carat ring, and a visit to one of the Strip’s wedding chapels. Ani moves in with Ivan at her parents’ three-story mansion in Brighton Beach. When word reaches Russia, the oligarch and his young trophy wife are not impressed. They hop on a private jet and fly to America to annul the marriage. The film is filled with Russian actors playing Russians, with several Armenians thrown in. But all eyes are on Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Scream, TV’s Better Things) in the title role.
Ani, played by Madison, is incandescent
She is self-assured, smart, brash, and very realistic about her place in the world. She goes about her sex work in a matter-of-fact way that insulates her from perpetual cynicism and despair. By the time the film has gained momentum, every viewer with a soul is rooting for Ani. It is Madison’s charm and magnetism that elevates “Anora” from a good film to a great one. Along the way, Baker makes some interesting observations about immigrants trying to take their place, however temporarily, in the American melting pot. We see the ill-fitting clothes, the struggles with a new language, and the all-too-frequent laughter and bravado that tries to hide how hard everyone works to fit in. These transplants also prove that flattery knows no national boundaries. Baker also has a clear view of sex workers.
Sex work is neither romanticized nor vilified
While the film contains frequent sex scenes and considerable nudity, it is not pornographic, lurid, or voyeuristic. The film conveys that sex for money is a last-minute source of income for people who might otherwise have few or no options for surviving economically. As it progresses, “Anora” avoids a variety of pitfalls. It never veers into „Pretty Woman” territory. It gives us a flawed character we all want to root for.