Reader Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Anora, directed by Sean Baker, is one of the best films I’ve seen in a very long time. The film won 5 times at the Academy Awards and has gotten rave reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, the Academy, etc. The film stars Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, and Yura Borisov. Although these three actors are no strangers to the big screen, this has been their big break in the industry.
The film is set in Brighton Beach, New York, a historically Russian city area. Both Russian and English are spoken in Anora. Mikey Madison is the star of the movie, as she plays Anora. Anora, also known as Ani, is a sex worker who strips at a nightclub for a living. She seems to enjoy it for several reasons. She has many friends who work alongside her, and some enemies, of course, makes good money, but something is missing in her life – love. One day, a young man named Vanya comes into the club. Ani assumes this will just be another lap dance or strip tease, but it quickly becomes much more.Â
Vanya and Ani form a connection quickly, even before they notice it, the viewers do. They spend more and more time together after their first meeting. At first, Vanya is paying Ani for sex and for some hangout time. However, it seems that they enjoy that time together more and more. Oh, and you may be wondering, how does Vanya have so much money to spend on sex and fun? He is the son of a Russian Oligarch with a seemingly endless amount of money. He is essentially an extreme “nepo” baby. After Vanya’s New Year’s Eve party, he asks Ani to be his pretend girlfriend for a week. For this, he pays her thousands of dollars, and she agrees to it.Â
They spend each day together, as Vanya is paying for all of them. However, these days aren’t filled with just “sex-capades”, but rather with fun moments with friends, partying, and beach days. This is when the two begin to acknowledge their blossoming feelings for each other. By the end of the week, Vanya proposes to Ani, and they get married in Las Vegas. One may think that this is where everything is sweet and happily ever after, right? Oh, you are so wrong.Â
After marrying one another, Ani discovers the real Vanya. At the end of the day, he is truly just a” nepo” baby. Vanya’s father’s “people” come to raid the mansion where they are staying. His royal and rich parents find out that Vanya married a sex worker, and are now making him leave America, and for the two of them to get a divorce. Ani is absolutely heartbroken and freaking out, but Vanya doesn’t seem to care much about the divorce. The only thing that he cares about is that he will have to leave America, and is in trouble with his parents. Vanya physically runs away from Ani and leaves her with his father’s “people.” In the rest of the movie, they’re left to find Vanya. Only to find him drunk out of his mind at the club Ani used to work at with her enemy. Yeah, crazy, right? It gets crazier. Ani and Vanya get their divorce as Vanya’s parents wish. Ani is so upset and tries to fight for their love, but learns that their “love” was never real. Vanya says that she is stupid to have married him and has no remorse for all that he has put her through.Â
Although this is just a quick summary of the fabulous film, I believe that anyone can see how fantastic it is just from a few words. The film keeps viewers on their toes, and shines a light on the reality of sex work, and the mental abuse many women face in relationships. It shows many topics that many filmmakers, media outlets, etc., tend to shy away from. Anora fully embraced all of these topics and created a space where it doesn’t feel as taboo.
Another beautiful thing about this film is that people can interpret it in many different ways. Some may think that Ani is in the marriage for money, and others may think she is in it for love. Especially the ending of the movie is very open for the viewer’s interpretation. It leaves you on a bit of a cliffhanger, which leaves viewers stumped and wanting more.Â
This film truly speaks to me as a person, but most importantly, as a woman. I feel that all people should watch this film. Not only is it entertaining, but you’ll also learn some valuable lessons.Â