Anora, starring Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn, is a standout of this year’s film season and much more than just a Cinderella story. The film, written and directed by The Florida Project alum Sean Baker, won five of the six Oscars awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Writing for an Original Screenplay, and Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The film draws attention to sex work by centering the plot on the life of Ani, a young stripper from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, who gets tangled in the lives of Russian oligarchs after impulsively marrying their son, Vanya. As the film progresses, the audience sees Ani process how her life has changed, both in very positive and very negative ways.
With a surprising political undertone, the film made history as the first Best Picture winner to feature dialogue in the Armenian language, as cited by the Armenian Film Society. The alternate take on the Cinderella story was released on Oct. 18, 2024, and has since captured the hearts of critics and audiences. As of early March, the film stands at a 93% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a close 86% from audiences.
Before the Oscars on March 2, the film had already made its mark on major film festivals and other awards shows. Before the film’s theatrical release, Anora won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Festival de Cannes. The award is given to the director of the best feature film in the competition, often with at least 20 contenders. Anora is now the fourth film in history to win both the Palme d’Or and Best Picture.
The indie film that swept the Oscars
During his acceptance speech for Best Picture, Baker stated that the film’s budget was $6,000,000, a striking difference from other competitors in the category. Notably, the budget for nominee Emilia Pérez is estimated to be approximately €25,000,000, roughly $27,000,000. Wicked, another major competitor for awards against Anora this season, had a budget of $145 million, which the production team reportedly exceeded. With a budget close to 4% of Wicked‘s, Anora still beat out both of the aforementioned films in all categories in which the three were nominated. Additionally, Madison’s win for Best Actress makes history as she is now the first Oscar winner to have played Ghostface in a Scream film.
In his acceptance speech for Best Picture, director Baker also emphasized the importance of supporting independent films. For small production companies and directors, it can be incredibly difficult to get a film to theaters, let alone the Oscars. Anora stands out as one of the lucky projects. With a minimal crew of roughly 40 members, the film was produced by Neon without the support of a large studio. For reference, Best Picture competitors Wicked and A Complete Unknown were made by Universal Pictures and Searchlight Pictures, respectively.
However, the statistics for success for independent, or indie, films typically aren’t very positive. Long before COVID-19 impacted the industry, numbers were already fairly low. The American Film Market, a film acquisition, development, and networking event, published that “40% of independent films made in 2017 did not get any kind of theatrical release.” Based on their research, “A further 35% had a nominal release, with no reported box office; 8% grossed between $1 and $100k; and 17% grossed over $100k. Out of the 877 independent films, 220 reported earnings at the box office, which is a shade over 25%.”
Even with these numbers in 2017, statistics show that the status of independent films has only slightly increased, with 291 independent movies released in theaters across the United States and Canada in 2021. This number, however, does not account for potential changes in overall box office earnings.
Controversies
Despite its many awards and critical acclaim, Anora is not immune to controversy. The film has faced significant backlash for its lack of an intimacy coordinator and its perceived portrayal of stereotypes.
Intimacy coordinators are recommended by SAG-AFTRA for “scenes involving nudity or simulated sex or upon request for other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes,” as per the union’s February 2024 Standards and Protocols for the Use of Intimacy Coordinators. While not mandatory, intimacy coordinators act as an advocate for actors in hyper-exposed scenes while also working with the production team to help the filming process by preventing delays related to such scenes. These crew members undergo extensive training with consent, anti-harassment, the proper use of modesty garments and barriers, bystander intervention, and movement coaching, among other areas, before they are eligible to be hired.
In an episode of Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” with Pamela Anderson, Madison confirmed that the film did not use an intimacy coordinator. Moreover, she asserted that the decision was left up to her and that she chose not to work with one. “For our film, it was a choice that I made; the filmmakers offered me, if I wanted, an intimacy coordinator… My character is a sex worker, and I had seen Sean’s films and knew his dedication to authenticity. I was ready for it. As an actress, I approached it as a job,” she stated.
Baker reciprocated the same sentiment. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he stated, “I think it’s very important for an actor to have that option. And of course, we offered both Mikey and Mark [Eidelstein] …that option. But also, I have directed sex themes throughout my career, so I was very comfortable doing so and also as a producer on my film, the number one priority is the safety and comfort of my actors.”
However, despite this being the actors’ decisions, Madison still faced backlash for her choice. The Independent quotes some viewers expressing their disagreement with the way Madison explained why Anora did not have an intimacy coordinator on set. One person emphasized, “Not taking that extra security isn’t cool, it’s regressive. I’m actually surprised there isn’t a mandatory intimacy coordinator clause in all movie insurance policies.” Another stated, “Can we stop acting like having intimacy coordinators makes you a worse actor? Why did everyone suddenly start bragging about not ‘needing’ one like it somehow relates to their talent or commitment? Intimacy coordinators are very much necessary [to] stop this madness.”
While the film does center on the experience of an erotic dancer, it has faced some criticism from other sex workers. Maddie, from the East London Strippers Collective, expressed her lack of support for the film with The Guardian. She, along with others from the East London Strippers Collective, emphasized that they thought the film provided only a very narrow window into sex work: “We didn’t see any of, like, who she is really as a person… Some more information about her sister, I think it was, that she was living with, would have been interesting. Or who her friends are, what her hobbies and dreams are. I think it’s really important that we have representation of sex workers as a whole person, and not just as their job.”
Andrea Werhun, a sex work consultant for the film, felt otherwise. Werhun, the author of Modern Whore, a tell-all about her personal experience as an escort, piqued Baker’s interest through her book. She began working with Baker in 2022 after he contacted her on social media. Werhun discussed her experience, stating that “Mikey struck me as sensitive, kind and totally dedicated to crafting a sex worker portrayal that was nuanced and human.” Werhun also spoke highly of Baker’s work, stating “On film, sex workers are usually depicted as victims, villains, hookers with hearts of gold or, well, dead. Sean Baker has managed to defy these tired stereotypes by paying sex workers to check his work. The result is a must-see portrayal of sex work that is both rare and riveting.”
Re-centering on the community
Baker’s film, despite its controversies and backlash, does advocate for sex workers. In one scene, while Ani is requesting time off from work, she tells her boss, “When you give me health insurance, workers’ comp, and a 401K, then you can tell me when I work,” after he tries to deny her request. Even with a small line, dialogue like this opens the door to discuss lack of support for employees working in environments like Ani’s. Consequently, the film has brought the cast and crew into the conversation about sex workers’ rights.
More indirectly, the film has also brought more customers to small businesses in Brighton Beach, like Williams Candy Shop, a Coney Island staple featured in the film. The cast and crew have repeatedly thanked the community for providing the film’s backdrop, and the locals appear to agree. While the film has brought more attention to the area, The Guardian claims that “Anora may be a love letter to Brighton Beach, but the day after its historic Oscar wins, the film’s muse carried on as normal, undisturbed.”
Baker’s interrupted Cinderella story will be available to stream on Hulu on March 17.