Movie Review: ‘Anora’

Mikey Madison gives a star-making performance as a sex worker in ‘Anora,’ a romantic comedy-drama that’s as soulful as it is relentlessly chaotic.

Mikey Madison as Ani in 'Anora'. Photo: Courtesy of NEON.

Opening in theaters October 18th is ‘Anora,’ directed by Sean Baker and starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yuriy Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Aleksei Serebryakov, Darya Ekamasova, and Lindsey Normington.

Initial Thoughts

(L to R) Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan in 'Anora'. Photo: Courtesy of NEON.

‘Anora’ is perhaps the biggest movie yet from independent filmmaker Sean Baker, whose past works include ‘Tangerine,’ ‘The Florida Project,’ ‘Starlet,’ and ‘Red Rocket.’ Directing, writing, and editing his films himself, and using innovative techniques like shooting an entire movie on an iPhone (as he did with ‘Tangerine’), Baker brings an authenticity to his movies that reflects his passion for focusing on people living and working on the fringes of society – which in several of his films includes sex workers.

The latter are front and center in ‘Anora,’ whose title character is a stripper at a Brooklyn club who is not above getting together with clients after hours for more intimate encounters if the money is right. One such encounter leads Anora on an adventure that finds her having to reassert her own right to happiness and self-determination, all while involved in a mix of screwball farce, chase movie, and class-based drama that goes in some unexpected directions and will leave you both out of breath and moved.

Story and Direction

(L to R) Sean Baker and DP Drew Daniels on the set of 'Anora'. Photo: Courtesy of NEON.

Ani (Mikey Madison), whose full name is Anora, is a young Russian-American stripper who lives in Brooklyn’s Russian-heavy Brighton Beach community and is steered toward her club’s Russian clients because she can speak their language. One such client, a seemingly shy yet charismatic young man named Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), arrives with fistfuls of money and loads of charm, and is immediately smitten with the alluring Ani.

It’s not long before Ivan invites Ani to his home for more private activities, and to be his “girlfriend” for a week – for which Ivan is willing to pay what to Ani is an exorbitant amount of money. His palatial home and endless supply of cash belie the fact that Ivan doesn’t “do” anything – while ostensibly in the U.S. to study, he is living off his parents’ largesse. The next week is a blur for Ani of constant sex, drugs, partying with Ivan and his friends, and even spontaneous trips – the last of which, to Las Vegas, ends with Ani and Ivan impulsively eloping.

It’s only after they get home, however, that Ivan’s parents – powerful, highly-placed Russian oligarchs -- get wind of what’s happened through Toros (Karren Karagulian), Ivan’s handler, who is then tasked with having Ani and Ivan stay put until Ivan’s furious parents can arrive and get the marriage annulled. Ivan instead flees the house, so Toros and his two associates, Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and the surprisingly sensitive Igor (Yura Borisov), with Ani in tow, are forced on an all-night search for the drunken, dissolute, spoiled man-child. Meanwhile, Ani fights back ferociously, both physically and verbally, against potentially being forced to give up both her privileged new life and what she perceives as true love.

(L to R) Sean Baker, Mikey Madison, and Mark Eydelshteyn on the set of 'Anora'. Photo: Courtesy of NEON.

Right out of the gate, Baker keeps ‘Anora’ moving at a furious clip, yet manages to never lose sight of the relationship at the heart of the story and the character at the center of that impetuous romance. Ani and Ivan share enough quiet moments together to at least give the impression that there is a true connection between them, although that’s interspersed with the frantic whirlwind of partying, sex, and hedonism that makes one wonder whether these two really have something or are just flying along on a rocket of youthful energy fueled by unlimited cash.

The pace doesn’t let up for the initial meltdown – when the beleaguered Toros and his goons show up – and even as Ivan flees like a child running from his parents in a tantrum, Ani shows another side of herself: cursing, screaming, fighting physically with enough raw strength and anger to hurt both of the tough-looking Russian guys sent to intimidate her. The initial confrontation between this petite young woman and these brawny men is a brilliantly edited combination of slapstick and heartfelt anger, with Madison leaving it all on the battlefield.

‘Anora’ sags a bit during the elongated second act, in which Ani, Toros, Igor, and Garnick hit just about every hangout in Brooklyn and Manhattan in search of Ivan – when it’s pretty obvious where they should look first. At 138 minutes, ‘Anora’ is a tad long, and this middle section could have easily benefited from being trimmed down, although in fairness the glimpses we get of life in Brighton Beach – one of Brooklyn’s most rugged immigrant communities, nestled in the shadow of Coney Island – are vivid and colorful.

It's in the final act, with the arrival of Ivan’s haughty, entitled parents, that ‘Anora’ gets back to full power. As they attempt to have the marriage annulled, and force Ani into a seemingly no-win situation, certain characters are revealed for who they are (some surprisingly, some not), and the true message of ‘Anora’ comes poignantly through: to the people with the money and power, most of us are nothing but disposable servants and playthings. It’s a harsh lesson that Baker effectively portrays with the humanity and compassion he’s brought to all his work.

The Cast

(L to R) Mikey Madison as Ani and Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan in 'Anora'. Photo: Courtesy of NEON.

Right from the start, this is Mikey Madison’s show: previously known for playing Pamela Adlon’s daughter on the FX series ‘Better Things,’ as well as a role in 2022's ‘Scream,’ Madison delivers a tour de force here, whether she’s making her sales pitch in Russian, seductively grinding for her clients at the club, plunging headlong into her new life as (essentially) a trophy wife, or fighting with everything she’s got to not have that life ripped away from her at a whim. Ani/Anora is simply an incredibly layered and complex character, possessed of both warmth and a singular, ferocious will to survive and assert her rights. That she does so with the odds stacked so heavily against her is one of her most endearing qualities.

The rest of the cast is a mix of Russian and Armenian actors, with Mark Eydelshteyn right on target as the spoiled, dissolute Ivan and Yuri Borisov, in his American debut, giving surprising depth and profundity to the quiet Igor. As with his previous projects, Baker casts not just the right faces – from lived-in to impassive – but gets actors who transmit the right amount of humanity and frailty no matter how tough they may seem.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan, Mikey Madison as Ani in 'Anora'. Photo: Courtesy of NEON.

With ‘Anora’ having won the Cannes film festival’s highest, honor, the Palme d’Or, earlier this year, and the movie coming out right as awards season is heating up, there should be no question that Sean Baker’s film will be in the thick of the race. His eye for people working and struggling on the margins of society remains one of the most important in film today, and he would be a lock for best director, best original screenplay, and best editing nominations in our view.

As for Mikey Madison, it’s equally a no-brainer that she should land a berth in the best actress race. While a bit self-indulgent at times, ‘Anora’ is a thoroughly original combination of character study, chase movie, bedroom farce, and working-class comedy-drama that (if some of its subject matter doesn’t turn off those notoriously staid Academy voters) should rank as a top contender and one of the best films of the year.

‘Anora’ receives 8.5 out of 10 stars.

Anora

"Love is a hustle."

R2 hr 19 minNov 1st, 2024

Showtimes & Tickets

Watch Anora Online

What is the plot of ‘Anora’?

A Russian-American stripper named Anora (Mikey Madison) -- or Ani for short – goes on a whirlwind romance with the son (Mark Eydelshteyn) of wealthy Russian oligarchs and ends up eloping with him. His parents find out about the marriage and plan to dissolve it – but Ani intends to fight to keep her man.