Time and time again, writer and director Sean Baker has proven to be one of his generation of filmmakers' most vital voices. Frequently exploring the stories of marginalised communities rarely afford a sympathetic voice or platform of this scale to have their stories told, Baker has not only elevated the unheard but does so thoughtfully and respectfully, free of prejudice or judgement. From Starlet to Red Rocket, and The Florida Projects and Tangerines in between, Baker's work has charted a path in modern cinema that few artists have dared to. His latest, Anora, is positioned to continue that endeavour, with a Palme D'Or win already under its belt.
Anora’s storyline is a really rather straightforward one: sex worker Ani is swept off her feet by Ivan, son of a Russian oligarch, but soon after their quick-fire marriage, she comes to realise the pitfalls of loving such a man. In her first major leading role, Mikey Madison stars as Ani/Anora, alongside an ensemble featuring Mark Eydelshteyn, Karren Karaguilan, Yuriy Borisov and Vache Tovmasyan. For a film that shifts on a whim, considering such an abundance of tones, themes, arcs and characters, it is downright remarkable just how sharply balanced an effort Sean Baker's Anora is. A thrilling 139-minute joyride that veers between manic comedy, fairytale love stories and emotional gut punches with ease and sophistication, Baker throws everything AND the kitchen sink at this mercurial effort and it shines as a result.
In a near-faultless opening act that on its own two feet would stand as the year's best, Baker tells a Cinderella story through a uniquely American lens with jaw-dropping results: in our introduction to Anora, she is showcased in her full glory - a hardworking, skilled and headstrong sex worker with a gloriously acid bite but open-hearted naivety that makes her such a compelling presence from start to end. Her meeting with Ivan sweeps us up in a dizzying love affair of starstruck lovers wreaking havoc with their newfound kinship, benefited by superb music choices, spritely editing and exciting camerawork that enriches the whirlwind pull of our central lovebirds. It feels like a fairytale - but one smartly mounted as an impending tragedy.
When the rug pull arrives, it is, by design, unsurprising and as we plummet helplessly towards the crash-landing, the previous highs of the opening only make the comedown more harshly felt: it is as shocking for us as it is for Ani. The madcap chaos of the second act may represent the film at its most conventionally funny. Still, it's a somewhat looser stretch too, arguably its weakest and marred by a sense that the cast is improvising their way through it. Nevertheless, the propulsive energy maintained throughout is continually engaging, with much of the physical comedy impressive, the dialogue rip-roaring (unneeded slurs and one misguided defence aside, an issue that unfortunately again crops up towards our conclusion...) and the screenplay juggling these characters well. Come its final act, a pensive reflection of self, worth and self-worth, Anora appears to have traversed the highs and lows of young love, often mesmerisingly so.
Mikey Madison is outrageously brilliant in this loud, proud and uncompromising performance of a female sex worker, with a deeply committed and transformative central turn from a star on the rise. Demonstrating truly remarkable physicality and razor-sharp comedic timing as Ani, Madison is fundamental in maintaining the energy levels through all 139 of the exhilarating runtime; her magnetism as a performer grounds the audience even as the chaos threatens to topple us entirely. But it is Madison' vulnerability, coursing under the surface of Anora that she summons to the surface at the most carefully selected moments, that is most revelatory. Elevating the entire piece by reminding us that, beyond the bravado and life experiences, she can be something as simple as a brokenhearted girl, Madison’s captures that naivety, without detracting from her strength, exquisitely. She is utterly exceptional, and should deservingly sweep every award the industry is brave enough to offer for her miraculous work here.
Madison isn't Anora's only cast member registering a tour-de-force performance, with two other standout performers in tow. Mark Eydelshteyn is downright hilarious as the charmingly idiotic Ivan, delivering some of the funniest line readings of the year thanks to some impeccable comedic timing. What is most interesting about his performance is that his true nature is never once hidden or disguised; the inevitability of his betrayal is clear as day, which Eydelshteyn's playful teases, understanding from the offset that he's not playing the role of a knight in shining armour, forethought that is crucial in tingeing the piece with such a sad irony.
Yuriy Borisov is similarly superb, a far more subtle performance but one that still rings entirely true and impactful. A character like Igor, in almost any other comedy, would be relegated to tertiary character territory and defined solely by the stereotypes that introduce him; but Borisov carefully dismantles these readings, initially on such a subtle level that it may not even initially register. The more Igor is humanised, the more we see his importance in Anora's story, with his chemistry opposite Madison one of Anora's greatest assets. A significant element of this is, of course, a result of a well-written screenplay, but so much of its success lies in Borisov's brilliantly understated work.
The need for a voice such as Baker’s in the cinema landscape would not be more vital, and with Anora, he once again proves he has both the talent and commitment to follow through on what he has always promised to deliver. Rather a film slightly rough around the edges - and this one could do with another round of editing to produce a tighter film- than one film that simply does not try at all, Anora’s imperfections are overcome to deliver a dazzlingly entertaining, thoughtful and respectful film that boasts a star-making turn from Mikey Madison and the filmmaking brilliance that is ensuring Sean Baker will go down as an essential name in Hollywood.