Matt64’s review published on Letterboxd:
Anora is the newest film from writer-director Sean Baker and this year’s winner of the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. After finally having seen the film, I am very happy that it took home that award since it is extremely excellent and entertaining in many ways.
The American… Nightmare?:
I would like to start things off by talking about Sean Baker’s writing for this film, which I found to be incredible work all-around. Centering on a sex worker named Anora (played by Mikey Madison) who forms a relationship with a spoiled, rich Russian named Ivan (played by Mark Eydelshteyn), the film pulls you in right from the beginning by perfectly establishing Anora as a protagonist who lives in poverty and views sex work as her only real source of income, providing her with a deeply humanistic characterization. However, she is also someone with a firecracker personality that is able to be assertive (which leads to many hilarious moments). The relationship that blossoms between her and Ivan during the first 30 minutes of the film starts off as a dream come true for her: Ivan seems to love her a lot (though with some suspicions towards his intentions underneath the surface), she starts becoming more wealthy due to Ivan being in control of his father’s money, and they even going as far as to marry each other within a few days of meeting each other. Things start to get out of hand once Toros (played by Karren Karagulian) and his two henchmen (played by Yura Borisov and Vache Tovmasayan) are involved and that is all I want to say in of plot. What works so well about this shift in story trajectory is how much it grabs you from being an adorable love story with a central theme of The American Dream to a story that feels a lot like Uncut Gems from a tonal standpoint. This allows for the film to express the darker side of this relationship and approaching it from a capitalist point of view while also exploring hierarchical dynamics between men and women. This all makes for a screenplay that is drenched in thematic depth, superb characterizations, sharp humor/dialogue, and the ability to go in many wild, unexpected directions from a plot standpoint, culminating towards an ending that will leave you thinking by the end.
Capturing Delightful Chaos:
But not only is Sean Baker’s writing for this film amazing, his directing is on the exact same level. The ability that he has to juggle multiple different tones & genres together into one cohesive piece is seamless and makes for a film that is masterfully playful in its execution. His utilization of craftsmanship is also stunning work and might be his most well-crafted film that he has ever done. Everything from his naturally brisk editing (since he also edited the film), the topsy-turvy yet beautiful cinematography by Drew Daniels, and the sound design all come together in adding a ton of infectious spirit to the film’s delightfully chaotic nature. Drew Daniels work as a D.P. is an especially huge highlight since it creates a gorgeous color palette with striking lighting while also containing appropriately frantic camerawork and framing during the more action-packed scenes in the film. Baker’s editing also helps in creating a manic atmosphere for the film during the second act while also knowing when to slow down and allow for the characters to breathe during some of the more calmer moments. Plus, Baker makes every single joke for this film stick the landing due to how phenomenal the comedic timing is and how gleefully erratic it becomes at times. In general, Sean Baker’s direction for this movie is astounding and is yet another strong achievement in this field for this year in filmmaking.
A Memorable Cast:
The last aspect of the film I will talk about is the cast, who I found to be entirely fantastic the whole way through. Right off the bat, my favorite performance in the entire film comes from Mikey Madison as the titular Anora herself. This is a type of role that demands a lot from her and she serves a slam dunk with every single big swing that she brings to this performance. Her ability to play a character who is endearing, self-confident, and hilarious while also bringing an emotionally devastating gut punch at the end is mind-blowing and unforgettable. It is an absolute tour de force performance and is my current pick for Best Actress this year. There is also Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan, who I thought was excellent in his portrayal of a spoiled, entitled man-child who clearly has not grown up whatsoever. It is a performance that truly feels like you are watching a 21-year-old boy through his physicality and line deliveries. There is also Yura Borisov as Igor, who is mainly prominent in the third act, but still manages to leave a big impression on you with the amount of levity and warmth that he brings to his character. Other strong players in the cast include the likes of Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasayan, and Darya Ekamasova.
Conclusion:
Aside from perhaps needing to think a little bit more about the ending and my own personal takeaways from it, I do not have a single other problem with Anora. It is a highly enjoyable, skillfully constructed, wild film that is brimming with a ton of life and looseness in ways that we do not really see with many other films nowadays and I will not be upset if it takes home the Oscar for Best Picture this year.
