The film is the simple story of a young stripper/escort from the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn as she meets a young Russian who would pay her for her work only to fall in love and get married in Las Vegas much to the dismay of his family including his father who is powerful oligarch as his handler and a couple of bodyguards try to deal with the situation. It is a film that sort of plays into the idea of a real-life fairytale for this 23-year-old woman who gets the chance to make not just some good money but also live the life that many would want that involves lots of money and free time. Sean Baker’s script is straightforward in its narrative, yet it is a coming-of-age film for its titular character in Anora “Ani” Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) who works at a strip club as a stripper while occasionally would be an escort for money as she lives in Brighton Beach. When her boss (Vincent Radwinsky) asks her to entertain a young and rich client in Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn) who speaks Russian and Ani knows some Russian. The two meet as she gets frequent contact with him to attend his parties and such while getting paid large sums where they go to Las Vegas with friends, and they get married and that is all in the film’s first act.
Since Vanya is the son of a rich oligarch as he is sent to the U.S. to study, Vanya is someone that clearly does not want to grow up as he uses his family’s money to get high, throw lavish parties, play video games, and have sex with Ani. For Ani, getting some expensive things and living a carefree life allows her to have a break from responsibilities as she lives in a house with her sister while hoping to be accepted by his family. Unfortunately, the news about Vanya’s marriage reaches his family as his godfather/handler Toros (Karren Karagulian) sends a couple of men in Garnik (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov) to get the two so that their marriage could be annulled. However, things do not go well as Ani proves to be too much for everyone with Vanya running away leading a second act where Ani reluctantly joins Toros, Garnik, and Igor to find him through the city. It all plays into the impulsiveness of youth with Ani wondering what she gotten herself into as trouble begins to escalate through some comical moments but also some intense moments as it relates to reality.
Baker’s direction is stylish in its overall presentation as it is shot on location in New York City including Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, Coney Island, and Sheepshead Bay as well as locations in Las Vegas. Baker’s usage of wide and medium shots does not just play into the vast locations the characters go to but also in the home that Vanya lives in that is owned by an actual Russian oligarch. Baker’s usage of space is key to the film in a scene where Toros converses with Ani with Garnik and Igor watching where his framing in which he has Toros and Ani in the middle of the frame with Toros face in the camera. The sense of intimacy in the medium shots and close-ups are also key in the private rooms at the strip club that play into a world where Ani knows what she can do to make men feel good as it is what attracted Vanya to her. Baker maintains this energy into the way Vanya spends his money such as getting a hotel suite in Las Vegas and access to drugs while also acts on impulse to escape from responsibility. Also serving as the editor, Baker utilizes some montages and jump-cuts to play into the energy including the scene where Garnik and Igor try to deal with an angry Ani who proves to be a young woman that does not take shit from anyone.
Notably in the film’s second act where Ani, Toros, Garnik, and Igor drive around the city to find Vanya in certain places he goes to including areas where the communities of Russian and Armenian descent go to. During the search for Vanya, the character of Igor who does not say much is this fascinating observer who does what he can to show kindness towards Ani despite her refusal. Even in the film’s third act where the chaos of Ani and Vanya’s actions become more complicated for Toros who is trying to manage everything as he also must deal with Vanya’s parents (Aleksei Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova) who does not just disapprove of the marriage but also who Ani is. It would all play into a tumultuous world that Ani has put herself in as well as the realization of Vanya. Baker’s usage of long shots help play into the drama, including the film’s ending as it is all about everything Ani has experienced and her own realization in being a young adult. Overall, Baker crafts an enthralling and exhilarating film about a young sex worker who meets and falls in love with a Russian oligarch’s son where they get married and cause trouble for that young man’s family.
Cinematographer Drew Daniels does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in the usage of stylish low-key lights for scenes at night including some of the interior scenes at the nightclub, hotel suites, and at Vanya’s home along with some natural lighting for some exterior scenes including the scene at Coney Island. Production designer Stephen Phelps, along with set decorator Christopher Phelps and art director Ryan Scott Fitzgerald, does amazing work with the look of the private rooms in the strip club as well as some of the rooms in Vanya’s house and a few places in Las Vegas. Costume designer Jocelyn Pierce does excellent work with the costumes in some of the stylish clothing that Ani would wear that plays into her personality as well as the coat that Toros wears and the highly-expensive clothing that Vanya’s mother wears.
The visual effects of Kyle Zemborain is terrific in a few scenes set in Vegas as it is mainly bits of set dressing in some of the exteriors in the city. Sound editors Andy Hay and John Warrin do superb work with the sound in the way music sounds on location as well as small sounds bits that help play into the atmosphere of a location and in the city. Music supervisor Matthew Heron-Smith does wonderful in assembling the film’s music soundtrack that ranges from pop, hip-hop, and electronic music that includes contributions from Take That with Robin Schulz and Calum Scott, Dunni, Mz Burns, 7resh, Aicha Fall, Danny G, Tyler Royale, Mpax, Butcher & the Florist featuring Glitter Moneyyy, Brit Fox, 144troy, Brett Bull, Kalaino, Michele Wylen featuring BushRainier & TKAP, Electropoint, Crokeyon 10, Mnogoznaal featuring Fortnoxpockets & Bryte, Sounds of Red Bull, JDvisionquest 3000 featuring L-1, Brooke Candy featuring Erika Jayne, SuperPitch, AnDy Darling, Hits Over Time, Mattie B, Red Hammer, Joseph Capalbo featuring Lyusi Simon, Terrell Burt, PsYcHoNaUt XIII, the Doug Martin Quartet, That Chicc, David Keen, Winter Garden Canada, and Karen Leslie Damelian.
The film’s ensemble cast that is assembled by Sean Baker feature some notable small roles and cameo appearances from Charles Jang as the Las Vegas hotel manager, Michael Sergio as a judge, Artyom Trubnikov as the Zakharov family lawyer, Ella Rubin as Ani’s sister, Alena Gurevich as a maid in Vanya’s house, Brittney Rodriguez as a security guard at the strip club, Vincent Radwinsky as the strip club owner, Ivy Wolk and Anton Bitter as a couple of Vanya’s friends who work at candy shop in Coney Island, Luna Sofia Miranda as Ani’s fellow stripper friend Lulu, and Lindsey Normington as another stripper in Diamond whom Ani does not like at all. Aleksei Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova are fantastic in their respective roles as Vanya’s parents in Nikolai and Galinka Zakharov with the former being an oligarch weary of all the chaos while the latter is a fucking entitled bitch as she disapproves of Ani as she sees Ani as absolutely beneath her and the family. Vache Tovmasyan is excellent as the Armenian henchman Garnik as a big man that got a lot more than he bargained for in Ani where he deals with his injuries to the point that he relapses into alcoholism where he becomes unreliable to Toros.
Karren Karagulian is brilliant as Toros as an Armenian handler who works at a local church and for the Zakharov family where he tries to defuse the situation involving Ani and Vanya while also offering the former money for her troubles despite all the shit, he would endure in trying to find Vanya. Yura Borisov is incredible as Igor as a Russian henchman working for Toros as he is a quiet observer that is making sense of the situation while being sympathetic for Ani as he tries to show gestures of kindness towards her despite her refusal. Mark Eydelshteyn is amazing as Vanya as the son of a Russian oligarch who likes to party, get high, play video games, and have sex where he falls for Ani and wants to marry her so he can stay in America as a way to avoid responsibility as well as working for his family where he displays the many elements of a young man still unwilling to grow up.
Finally, there’s Mikey Madison in a tremendous performance as the titular role as this stripper/escort who meets a young Russian student as she spends time with him while being paid as she would become his wife only to get herself in trouble with people involved with his family. Madison’s performance has this element of energy and street smart but also someone who does not take shit from anyone in the way she deals with Toros and his men. There is also a quiet vulnerability in Madison’s performance as a woman that is a troubling situation where she is forced to deal with reality while is also reluctant to make a true emotional connection with someone as this is a breakout performance for Madison.
Anora is an outstanding film by Sean Baker that features a phenomenal leading performance from Mikey Madison. Along with its supporting cast, dazzling visuals, an exhilarating music soundtrack, and its story of escapism and responsibility. It is a film that explores a fairy tale coming true for this young woman only to deal with reality as well as the idea of adulthood for two young people in which a woman takes a big step towards it. In the end, Anora is a magnificent film by Sean Baker.
Sean Baker Films: (Four Letter Words) – (Take Out (2004 film)) – (Prince of Broadway) – Starlet - Tangerine (2015 film) - The Florida Project - (Red Rocket)
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