Film Review: ANORA: Sean Baker Creates a Vision That Becomes the Director’s Most Powerful Work to Date (NYFF 2024)

Anor’s Review

Anora (2024) Movie Review With 62nd Annual New York Film FestivalAND movie written and directed by Sean Baker and in the main role Mikey Madison, Mark Eidelstein, Karren Karagulian, Wache Towmasyan, Yura Borisov, Paul Weissman, Lindsey Normington, Ivy Wolk, Maria Tikhinskaya, Vlad Mamai, Ross Brodar, Ella Rubin, Zofia Carnabuci, Brittney Rodriguez, Vincent Radwinsky, Luna Sofia Miranda AND Emily Weider.

Writer/director Sean Baker (Florida Project, Red Rocket) returns to the screens with cinematic triumph, Anora. The filmmaking couldn’t be better, with the most intense comedy, drama and action of the year in the best film of the year. Mikey Madison plays the title role of a stripper named Anora who meets a spoiled brat, Ivan (Mark Eidelshtein), the son of a Russian oligarch, and marries him after a whirlwind romance. And, in Anora’s mind, why not? Ivan lives in a mansion and seems to be able to provide for her quite well. Too bad Ivan’s family doesn’t approve, and once they find out about this marriage, the film becomes the most genuinely funny picture of the year so far, pushing the word “wild” to new limits.

The film begins by introducing us to the world of brunette Anora at her strip club, where she goes from one client to another, occasionally annoying her redheaded coworker Diamond (a scene-stealing Lindsey Normington). Anora lives in Brooklyn and seems to have a pretty good financial outlet at the club, although she clearly has more to offer than just her body, judging by her outgoing and energetic personality. When the new 21-year-old, Ivan, starts flaunting his money, Anora finds a client who likes her and is willing to spend… beyond a shadow of a doubt. Back at his mansion, there’s a beautiful view and plenty of rooms to run around in, frolic in, and have sex in. Too bad it all belongs to Ivan’s parents and an overgrown kid. Ivan’s bedroom is down the hall and has pictures of spaceships on the wall. But Anora takes things at face value and delves deeper by the minute.

Anora has to make us believe that our main character will fall in love with and marry Ivan. Baker easily fools us. Scratch that. The combination of Baker’s direction and Mikey Madison’s phenomenal, risk-taking performance easily fools us. When Anora gets to Vegas, she falls hard for her “knight in shining armor,” Ivan. Could they just live happily ever after and have sex every day while he plays video games?

The guys who find out about Anora’s wedding show up and are not amused. Among them are Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov), who tell Ivan’s closest family member, the priest, what’s going on. In a hilarious scene, the priest immediately leaves the baptismal site to deal with the situation. Toros (Oscar nominee Karren Karagulian) is the character at the heart of the film, who wants to annul the marriage to avoid further embarrassment for Ivan’s family, who soon find out about the situation and head to Brooklyn, where all this is happening.

There are two supporting characters that stand out here: Toros and Igor. Toros because he wants to resolve things as quickly as possible, and Igor because he confronts Anora and practically ties her up when all hell breaks loose at Ivan’s parents’ house. The film doesn’t skimp on the use of the “F word” as Madison relishes her role in trying to make Anora feel familiar and special, and Madison does that and more. Anora has entered into what she thought was a sincere marriage, but Ivan may not be who she thought he was, because he gets up and runs from the scene in a hurry, and soon no one can reach him to find out where he is. His phone immediately goes to voicemail.

As a story Anora becomes intrusive, the film never catches its breath. The fast pace of the action is one of its strongest assets. The film takes us to Brooklyn, where Toros and company search for information and try to locate Ivan and put an end to his intrigues once and for all. They underestimate Anora, who will stand by her man until she finds him and learns his side of the story. Wait until you see her confrontation with her in-laws.

This film is a classic with a New York flavor that puts it right up there with some of Scorsese’s masterpieces. Why Anorain itself, a masterpiece? In a word, it’s relentless. Baker has made some very good films, but he finally has a film that is 100% his own, in which he controls the action and the characters. While these characters are going off the deep end, you can trust Baker to have a master plan for all this madness, and he definitely comes into play in the second half of the film, when Ivan’s family tries to convince him to divorce Anora. Will Ivan rise to the occasion and be a man? Watch the series.

Mark Eidelshtein plays the immature Ivan competently. He clearly has no idea what’s going on, but he also understands Anora’s side, as he offers her financial stability amidst her own unstable lifestyle. It’s easy to see why Anora would marry him, even if it wasn’t the best decision. Anora shows the viewer the complications of marriage resulting from the disapproval of in-laws and family members in a hysterically exaggerated but wildly funny way.

The heart of the film is Madison’s unyielding performance. It’s the kind of thing that Oscar nominations are made of, and Madison never feels fake. She remains true to the role she was born to play. It’s one of the best performances of the year for the actress, allowing Madison to be both vulnerable and controlled, while Anora struggles to learn the true nature of her marriage to Ivan and to honor the vows she made to be his wife.

In support of Karren, Karagulian deserves praise from all sides for a performance that allows the viewer to understand the family’s side, whether they agree with it or not. When Toros is at a bar complaining about the lack of respect from today’s kids who just want to “buy sneakers,” Karagulian rules. Yura Borisov also gets some screen time, which develops his character, and the actor does a great job in the role.

Anora Baker is in top form. Bakes keeps the film moving at a brisk pace and never drags, not for a second. Fueled by Mikey Madison’s bravura turn of events, this picture is gripping as its script throws up one twist after another. It’s the best film of the year so far and, hopefully, Baker and Madison’s ticket to the Oscars.

Rate: 10/10

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