Movie Review | 'Anora'

Writer-director Sean Baker’s “Anora” is beginning its awards season rollout after winning the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The movie — which netted the distributor NEON its fifth consecutive Palme d’Or — has maintained its anticipation and buzz since its rapturous response at the festival. Now, it’s likely headed to the Oscars.

It’s understandable why so many have fallen under the spell of “Anora;” it plays like an unlikely combination of “Pretty Woman” and “After Hours.” As far as Baker’s films go, “Anora” is his biggest production to date. Watching the filmmaker grow from “Starlet” and “Take Out” to his more mainstream indie features like “The Florida Project,” “Red Rocket” and the wonderful “Tangerine” shows how his toolbox gets bigger with each production. The problem is “Anora” also feels like one of his most unwieldy films.

“Scream” star Mikey Madison stars as Anora, a sex worker who goes by “Ani” and works in a New York City strip club. It’s there she meets Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), a 21-year-old Russian, whose parents’ wealth gives him an unchecked amount of confidence. After hitting it off at the strip club, Ani agrees to meet Ivan at his mansion. Their business arrangement continues on to a New Year’s Eve party, spending a week together and, ultimately, a Vegas wedding.

Ivan, the son of Russian oligarchs, has not let on what a problem their marriage will cause for his family. Ani and Ivan are visited by Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan), Igor (Yura Borisov, effective in an understated role) and Toros (Karren Karagulian), who are sent by Ivan’s parents to get the marriage annulled.

As a director, Baker has always been someone who likes to observe the lives of those who live on the margins, but he has also gravitated towards sex work. “Tangerine” — which became known as ‘the movie shot on an iPhone’ — followed two transgender sex workers as they traversed Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. There was a vital intimacy to the movie that made Baker’s audience feel they were walking those streets with the lead actresses. “Anora” finds his canvas growing, which gives Baker too many opportunities to let the story slip away.

He also likes to create moments for his actors, whether introducing them to viewers or reinventing their careers. Madison isn’t new to movies (and was on the very good show “Better Things”), but “Anora” is a star-is-born moment for the actress. Her firecracker performance and thick Brooklyn accent radiates a confidence on screen that more seasoned actors would envy.

There are times when the movie seems to sideline Ani in favor of broader, run-all-night plot points, but Madison never wastes a moment on screen. Madison knows “Anora” is her movie, but occasionally the film itself forgets that. It’s a testament to Madison’s performance that she makes a thinly drawn character so compelling.

There’s occasionally a great energy to “Anora,” but the movie lags halfway through thanks to a bloated 139-minute runtime. When things are supposed to be thrilling, they become repetitive and numbing. Thankfully, Madison’s jolt of energy brings everything back into place.

Matt Passantino is a contributor to CITY.