November tends to be a strong month for movies, as directors try to put out their best work in time to be contenders for awards season.
One such film hasn’t received a lot of advertisements up to its limited release date of Oct. 18 despite winning the coveted Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. As the movie widens its range of screening theaters, “Anora” is finally gaining the popularity among mainstream viewers it deserves.
The movie’s titular character, referred to as Ani for most of the film, is a sex worker. When a young client from a prominently wealthy Russian family enlists her services, he becomes infatuated with her and eventually proposes. After they get married in Vegas, the news reaches his family, who then become set on annulling the marriage, which ensues chaos for both the family and Ani.
The viewers are calling this film one of the best of the year so far, and rightfully so. The narrative’s originality makes the movie a refreshing, enticing theatrical experience. The plot is easy to consume through its 2 hour and 19-minute runtime; however, the sex scenes may be hard for some viewers to sit through. Some scenes could be cut to fit a more concise runtime that is more suitable for a comedy, but overall, it isn’t too noticeable.
Director Sean Baker does a great job working with the fresh-faced actors, whose roles will help to jumpstart, or further propel, their careers. Mikey Madison, who plays Ani, is experiencing one of her first leading roles in a big feature film. She does an extraordinary job keeping the comedic aspects fitting for the movie. She handles a versatile role with excellence as not only does Ani provide the audience with moments of wit, but she effectively portrays the rough climate of life that comes with being a sex worker.
Max Edelstein, Yuriy Borisov, Vache Tovmasyan and Karren Karagulian (who has frequently made appearances in Sean Baker’s films like “Tangerine” and “Red Rocket”) are also marvelous additions to the cast. Collectively, the cast has amazing chemistry, not only making memorable characters but impactful moments.
As Madison’s performance perfectly exemplifies, the screenplay is a wonderful balance of comedy, chaos and heart. We are encouraged to root for characters that are normally looked down upon in society.
The pacing is wonderfully done, except for the few previously mentioned scenes that could have been more concise. The entertainment value appeals to a large group of people, as there is something in it for everyone no matter what types of films you prefer.
As aforementioned, due to Ani’s career, there are several graphic portrayals of sex as well as large amounts of nudity. Viewers that are largely uncomfortable with sexual situations might want to think twice about seeing this film.
A film about the story of a sex worker’s marriage gone wrong has debuted as one of the best made films of the year. It is not only hilarious and captivating but humanizes sex workers and helps us understand how society condemns those in sex work.
“Anora” is now playing in theaters.
