I want to preface this with the fact that I am a fan of Sean Baker (writer, director, producer, editor). I think his last three movies (Tangerine (2015), Florida Project (2017), and Red Rocket (2021)) are all incredible pieces of cinema and works of art, so it does generally pain me to state that his hotly anticipated newest film, Anora, misses the mark for me almost entirely and only is saved by the brilliance that the cast brings forward. This is something Baker consistently achieves (bringing the best out of his cast), but the script here lacks a level of passion and is so linear that it ultimately creates its own downfall, it’s a story that is so afraid to swing that it just walks to first and, due to that walk, gets the game winning run, but ultimately leaves the most unsatisfying win in the audience’s perspective.
Mikey Madison as Ani in ANORA. Photo courtesy of NEON.
The movie focuses on Ani (Mikey Madison) who is an exotic dancer living in New York. She is instructed by her boss, even though she’s off the clock for the night, to go and entertain some clients who just walked in because she understands Russian. Reluctant and not given much of a choice, she goes and meets Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) and demonstrates she can also speak Russian, albeit poorly, at his request. She brings him into the VIP room, he begins to tip her very well, so she breaks the rules and does things she’s not supposed to, leading toward an understanding and a “relationship” developing between the two of them.
L-R: Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan and Mikey Madison as Ani in ANORA. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Ivan is a child, in mentality, and does not want to go back to Russia and decides, on an impulse, after spending a small but consistent amount of time with Ani, to propose and get married so he can become American and not go back to Russia. Ani agrees as she’s developed feelings and understanding for Ivan, and their peaceful marriage is off to the races … that is until word about what he’s done gets back to Ivan’s parents. Enter Toros (Karren Karagulian) and his two henchmen Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov). At first, Ivan refuses to believe that his parents found out, but when he realizes they’re on their way to America to sort out his situation they disapprove of, he runs away, leaving Ani with the three Armenian fixers. Now, instead of this being a grizzly tale of what seems like Russian mafia, it’s a cat and mouse game with no real shocking moments or turns throughout and plays out roughly how one expects it to. While the journey may be anxiety-inducing and entertaining, the end of the road is certainly not anything to hold one’s breath over.
L-R: Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan and Mikey Madison as Ani in ANORA. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Looking at Baker’s other work, the linear storytelling is not something surprising. It’s just that the general angst, tension, and demeanor of the entire film feel like there should be something more. One way or another, the third act should’ve been something more explosive and something to give Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood; Scream) the jaw-dropping moment she consistently claws for throughout the movie. This is not to say that her performance is anything shy of brilliant, because it is arguably one of the best performances of the year. She commands every single frame she is in and demands the audience’s attention and refuses to let up. It’s Ani/Mikey’s world and we’re all just living in it. On the other hand, though, Yura Borisov (Compartment No. 6) as Igor is the epitome of brilliant as well; he just absolutely gets lost in the role of the willing participant in the chaos who truly does not want to be there. He has such passion for humanity while simultaneously being a stooge running errands for a Russian family is the essence of the role, but the performance breathes so much deeper than that. Without the performances from both Madison and Borisov, and Karagulian (Tangerine; Red Rocket), Tovmasyan (Lost and Found in Armenia), and Eydelshteyn (The Land of Sasha), Anora would’ve been a one-note movie which would’ve bored audiences to exhaustion, but their collective charisma and perseverance in creating this world for audiences to get lost in help excel this linear typical story (for the situation presented) to heights which, without them, simply would not have been achieved.
ANORA writer/director Sean Baker. Photo courtesy of NEON.
Sean Baker typically knows how to tell stories that engage their audience, with or without the strong performances. Despite his previous three outings balancing the brilliance of acting and story to create that tour de force, his newest, Anora, lacks a script to get behind, but the career-defining performances are what audiences will salivate for. Hanging off of every single thick New York-accented Mikey Madison delivery keeps the audience engaged and enthralled in the sheer chaos that unfolds. The performance of the year is an understatement, but the overall achievement of the picture as a whole lacks that same conviction.
Screening during Toronto International Film Festival 2024.
In theaters October 18th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Toronto International Film Festival 2024 Anora webpage.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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