20/13
Quoted in Close-Up: Anora (2024)
Story
Anora, a young sex worker in Brooklyn, meets and spontaneously marries the son of an oligarch. When word reaches Russia, their fairy tale is in jeopardy as his parents head to New York to annul the marriage. IMDb editor Arno Kazarian offers a preview of 12 films he has screened at the 2024 New York Film Festival, including Anora and the dangerous, strangely erotic Misericordia. At the Cannes Film Festival press conference, Mikey Madison said that director Sean Baker will play through different sex positions with his wife, producer Samantha Quan, to show the actors what he wants from them. The buzz around Anora is huge and it has delivered on its promises. I had no idea what to expect, other than I had all three Sean Baker movies in my head and thought it might be somewhere in the middle (The Florida Project, Red Rocket and Tangerine – all great movies by the way and about sex workers).
You have your party, your conflict, and your conclusion
It had some similar tones and focuses, but otherwise Anora was her own beast. I have to say, the movie had a LOT more Safdie Brothers towards the end than I expected! Lots of people yelling at each other for a very long time! Very interesting! The film somehow unfolds in three acts, like many great films. I had a feeling from the start that it was going to feel a bit like Boogie Nights in structure, and I’d say it was pretty perfect.
Mikey Madison is fantastic as Anora
Without saying too much, I have to say that the ending made the whole movie for me, and my girlfriend agreed. You’re in for a 2-hour experience that’s mostly fun and engaging, it all feels a little weird, but it still gives a lot of very emotional details about the sex work experience, but it’s all just for fun until you get to The End. Instead of an ending that wraps everything up nicely in a little bow, it’s an ending that unties the bow, opens the box, and leaves you with the RAW reality of it all. I was a little taken aback by the particular energy of the packed room as the silent credits rolled and people very slowly (very quietly) began to leave the room. When I saw the promo for the movie, I was expecting a loud and pretty girl – but she plays a tough, sassy con artist who is VERY New York City, and that was a pleasant surprise. Anora is a mostly likeable character, but not always, and that only adds to her humanity and the overall realism and complexity of her role as the main character.
It’s really great to see how well this movie is doing
You’ll be on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs with her, and the depths feel very real. She is also extremely HOT and there is a LOT of SEX in this movie. The entire cast is fantastic, but new faces Mark Eidelshtein and Yura Borisov make the strongest impression as capable actors who deserve much more casting in the future. Eidelshtein stole the show as the most believable rich boy ever, and Borisov’s nuanced presence was AF without many words needed. I definitely think this is one of Baker’s two best movies to date, maybe his best and one of the best movies of 2024. The place was completely packed at 9.30pm on a Monday night and I hear the numbers earlier in the week were some of the biggest this year.
Check out the full lineup for the 62nd New York Film Festival this fall
This is the kind of original, honest and relevant filmmaking that needs to be seen, celebrated and supported, and it’s a joy to watch. I’m looking forward to seeing Mikey Madison’s career blossom after this and I can’t wait to see more from Sean Baker.
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