Anora is the latest Neon film and while they are having a great year of horror, Anora stands out as their one true Oscar contender for 2024. It’s currently the favorite according to many industry professionals for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay and more. So what did I think? Let’s dive in…
What is the film about?
The film follows Anora (who very much doesn’t want to be called that all film and instead goes by “Ani”), who is a stripper in Brighton Beach (a Russian speaking neighborhood in Brooklyn). She meets Vanya, the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch who is nothing but a party animal, but he takes a liking to her and pays her $15k to pretend to be his girlfriend for a week. It evolves into a somewhat genuine relationship and while spending time in Vegas – they get married (although mostly for the green card). That does not make Vanya’s parents happy so they send their henchmen to force them to get the marriage annulled and everything goes south from there.
What worked?
A movie like this can’t work without a great lead and Mikey Madison plays the role very well. Sean Baker also has a certain style that will resonate with some and not so much with others.
What didn’t work?
The second half of the movie. The love affair starts and you have fun watching the rich “I can do anything” lifestyle, and even the romance at first plays well. But it falls apart quickly once the main story of “your parents aren’t happy” picks up. The film is also way too long, it could have been a great 1:30, 1:45 film but currently stands at 2:19. Some of my dislikes have to do with spoilers so I won’t get into a lot of it, but the back half of the movie both feels rushed and drug out at the same time.
The winner of this film is?
The henchmen. Rarely do henchmen do anything but stand there and be big uglies who are willing to fight, kill or be killed at the snap of a finger. I will give Baker credit for making you somewhat care about the henchmen in this film as much as you care for Ani.
You’ll like this if you liked…
If you like Baker’s other projects under the A24 umbrella such as The Florida Project or Red Rocket, you’ll probably like this. Imagine Pretty Woman, but in an A24/Neon style similar to Uncut Gems (in your face and LOUD) and something more like The Florida Project.
Would I recommend Anora?
It’s getting praise across the board and nomination buzz for every major award. I honestly don’t get the hype. It’s good, but definitely not great. I also wasn’t super high on The Florida Project like most other people, so maybe it’s just me.
I think it’s worth seeing to judge for yourself, and I do appreciate some things about this film, but Sean Baker and I just don’t click for some reason. I think Mikey Madison has a good career in front of her, she’s already worked with Tarantino, played Ghostface in Scream and now very well may be nominated for an Oscar. I look forward to the future of her career more so than this being the peak.
