Film Review: ANORA: Sean Baker Creates a Vision That Succeeds as the Director’s Most Powerful Work to Date [NYFF 2024]

Anora Review

Anora (2024) Film Review from the 62nd Annual New York Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Sean Baker and starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eidelshtein, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov, Paul Weissman, Lindsey Normington, Ivy Wolk, Maria Tichinskaya, Vlad Mamai, Ross Brodar, Ella Rubin, Sophia Carnabuci, Brittney Rodriguez, Vincent Radwinsky, Luna Sofia Miranda and Emily Weider.

Writer/director Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Red Rocket) returns to the screen with a cinematic triumph, Anora. Film-making doesn’t get much better than this with some of the most intense comedy, drama and action of the year in the flat-out best movie of the year. Mikey Madison stars in the title role as a stripper named Anora who meets a spoiled brat, Ivan (Mark Eidelshtein), the son of a Russian oligarch and marries him after a whirlwind affair. And, in Anora’s mind, why not? Ivan lives in a mansion and seems to be able to provide for her pretty well. Too bad, Ivan’s family does not give their seal of approval and once they get news of this marriage, the movie takes off as the most genuinely entertaining picture of the year thus far which pushes the word “wild” to new limits.

This film begins by introducing us to the dark-haired Anora’s world at her strip club where she goes from one client to the next, occasionally pissing off her red-haired co-worker 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 from her outgoing and energetic personality. When a new 21-year old guy, Ivan, starts flashing money around, Anora finds a client that takes a liking to her and is willing to spend…beyond a reasonable doubt. Back at his mansion, there’s a beautiful view and plenty of rooms to run around in while frolicking and having sex. Too bad, all this belongs to Ivan’s parents and the overgrown kid Ivan’s bedroom is down the corridor and has pictures of spaceships on the wall. But, Anora takes things at face value and gets in deeper by the minute.

Anora has to make us believe that our main character would fall in love and marry Ivan. Baker easily makes us fall for it. Scratch that. The combination of Baker’s direction and the phenomenal, risque performance by Mikey Madison easily makes us fall for it. When Anora gets to Vegas, she’s fallen 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 in the interim?

Enter some guys who find out the news of Anora’s nuptials and are not amused. Among them are: Garnick (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov) who tell Ivan’s closest local family member, a priest, what’s going on. In a hilarious scene, the priest promptly leaves a baptism to deal with the situation. Toros (the Oscar-nomination worthy Karren Karagulian) is the character at the heart of the movie who wants to annul the marriage to prevent any further embarrassment to Ivan’s family who are soon informed of the situation and are headed to Brooklyn where all this is happening.

There are two side characters who stand out here: Toros and Igor. Toros because he wants to resolve things as soon as possible and Igor who gets into a confrontation with Anora and pretty much ties her up after all hell breaks loose in Ivan’s parents’ house. The movie doesn’t spare use of the “F-word” as Madison revels in her role, trying to keep Anora feeling relatable and unique and that Madison does and then some. Anora entered a marriage she believed was genuine but Ivan may not be the man she thought he was as he gets up and flees the scene in a hurry and, soon, nobody can contact him to discover his whereabouts. His phone goes straight to voicemail.

As the plot of Anora gets heavy-handed, the movie never takes a breath for air. This film’s rapid-fire pacing is one of its strongest assets. The movie takes us through Brooklyn as Toros and company dig for information and try to locate Ivan and put an end to his shenanigans once and for all. They underestimate Anora who will stand by her man until she finds him and gets his side of the story. Wait til you see her confrontation with the in-laws.

This movie is a classic with New York flavor that ranks it alongside some of Scorsese’s masterpieces. Why is Anora, itself, a masterpiece? In a word, it’s relentless. Baker has made some very good films but he’s finally got a movie that is 100% his own where he’s in control of the action and the characters. While these characters are flying off the deep end, one can trust in Baker that he has a master plan for all this craziness and it definitely comes into play in the film’s latter half as Ivan’s family tries to get him to divorce Anora. Will Ivan stand up to the plate and be a man? See the show.

Mark Eidelshtein competently plays the immature Ivan. One can see he doesn’t have a clue what’s going on but can also understand Anora’s side as he’s offering her financial stability amidst her own unstable lifestyle. It’s easy to comprehend why Anora marries him even if it may not have been the best decision. Anora also shows the viewer that complications of a marriage with disapproving in-laws and family members in a hysterically exaggerated but wildly entertaining way.

At the heart of the movie is Madison’s go-for-broke performance. This is the stuff Oscar nominations are made of and Madison never feels fake. She keeps it real in a role that the actress was born to play. It’s one of the year’s best parts for an actress because it allows Madison to be vulnerable and in-control simultaneously as Anora tries to learn the true nature of her marriage to Ivan and stick by the vow she made to be his wife.

In support, Karren Karagulian is deserving of accolades all around with a performance that makes the viewer understand the side of the family whether one agrees with the family or not. When Toros is in a diner complaining about the lack of respect from kids today who just want to “buy sneakers,” Karagulian rules. Yura Borisov also gets some screen-time which develops his character and the actor succeeds in this role to the fullest extent.

Anora is Baker in top form. Bakes keeps the film moving quickly and never does it drag, not even for a second. Fueled by Mikey Madison’s bravura turn, this picture will keep you on your toes as its screenplay surprises with one twisty scenario after another. It’s the year’s best film thus far and, hopefully, Baker and Madison’s ticket to the Oscars.

Rating: 10/10

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