At the opening weekend of the 62nd New York
Film Festival, I attended a screening of the comedy-drama “Anora”, starring Mikey
Madison and directed by Sean Baker.
Synopsis
When a young sex worker marries a wealthy Russian, will
their marriage survive despite his parents’ objections?
Anora (Madison), 23, prefers to go by the name Ani; she
lives in Brooklyn with her sister, who knows that Ani works as a stripper who
makes extra money by giving lap dances and private sessions at the topless
bar. One night at work, her boss tells
her to go with a young man, 21-year-old Ivan (Mark Eidelshtein), who is Russian
and requested a girl who speaks the language.
Knowing that Ani is of Russian descent and speaks the language taught to by her grandmother, Ani is the logical choice. Initially resistant to the idea, she
eventually relents and accepts the assignment.
One thing leads to another and they arrange a private meeting at his
home.
It turns out that Ivan lives in a mansion because his
parents are filthy rich; he is wrapping up his college studies in New York City
while his parents live in Russia. Ivan
spends quite a bit of money on Ani over the course of a number of assignations between the two; eventually, he pays Ani to accompany him on a trip to Las
Vegas where he winds up proposing to her.
She accepts and they get married at a small chapel in Vegas before returning
to New York City where Ani moves in with Ivan.
Soon, Ivan’s parents find out that their son has not only married, but even
worse, to an exotic dancer. Given their
high profile in Russia, this will be an embarrassment.
Ivan’s parents want the marriage annulled, but it turns out
that since they got married in Las Vegas, they cannot get it annulled in New York. His parents decide to fly to New York City
and take them to Vegas to get all of this done, with the deal being that they
will pay Ani to keep her mouth shut and forget all about this. Although both Ivan and Ani resist, they are
quickly convinced that they have no other choice. But when Ivan suddenly disappears, will the
thugs employed by his parents to keep an eye on him be able to find Ivan before
the parents arrive in New York City?
It’s rare that a rave review appears on this blog, but “Anora” is
most definitely worthy of one. While
making the film festival circuit in recent months, it has garnered a great deal
of buzz – and deservedly so. This is a
fun, wild ride and should definitely be seen as soon as possible; it opens in
theaters later in October – it might be a good idea to see it sooner rather
than later via a streaming service.
That’s how good this movie is.
Run, do not walk, to a screening; it’ll be worth your time and
effort. This would probably be a good
date night film because it’s sexy, funny and contains plenty of action.
The acting in “Anora” is top-notch, particularly by Mikey
Madison; this is truly a breakout performance that will likely make her a big
star – she's earned it. “Anora” is an emotional roller coaster ride from beginning to end and an enjoyable one at that with a deeply
satisfying ending. While the title
character seeks to attain both independence and respect despite (or because of)
her chosen line of work, this is also a story about the haves and
have-nots. Who exactly wins in the end
depends on one’s definition of the word “win” – something worthy of discussion
after viewing. There are valid arguments
to be made on either side for Ani’s outcome.
Following the screening, there was an interview with
director Sean Baker and star Mikey Madison.
For her role, Mikey said that she is not a dancer – in fact, she doesn’t
even dance at parties. She believes that
dancers are in tune with their body and she is not. As Anora, she focused on connecting with
another person. The script was vague
when it came to her sexy dancing scene, so she tried one and had her mother
record the video, then sent it to the director.
Baker said that he wanted to do a movie that took another view of sex
workers; he added that due to the short shooting schedule, he had to shoot all
of the scenes in the mansion together.
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