Anora sees writer/director Sean Baker continue his quest to shine a light on the marginalised and in particular, sex workers. It also might be the biggest triumph of his unique blend of realism, playfulness and insight so far.
Mikey Madison plays Anora, or as she prefers to be called Ani, an exotic dancer and escort who is asked to look after 21 year old oligarch's son Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) on account of her being able to understand his native Russian. After charming him, she is hired to be his girlfriend for a week which leads to the pair marrying. A win win situation that allows Ivan to obtain a green card, and give the middle finger to his controlling parents, and gives Ani access to a lifestyle she could only have dreamt of weeks before. There is no honeymoon period however, as Ivan's antics make the Russian news and his parents send his godfather and a couple of goons round to "convince" the pair the marriage should be annulled.
When a film opens with topless dancers gyrating on their clients to the tune of Greatest Day by Mum's favourites Take That, you know you are in for something a little different but the way Anora changes pace, tone and genre to keep it's audience on their toes is mightily impressive. What begins as a drugs and sex fuelled modern Pretty Women morphs seamlessly into a hysterical farce before crystallising towards a poignant ending.
It all hangs on a star making performance from Mikey Madison as one of the most fully textured and complete characters you'll see all year. We learn plenty about Ani in an opening section that shows her working the club and chatting to her colleagues. When Ivan enters the scene, 21 going on 12, all childish enthusiasm and no impulse control, she senses a chance to earn some money but in a fair, transactional way. Their relationship is sweet and as it deepens it's clear that the young Russian is the marriage instigator and no one could blame her for taking the chance at a better life. She is no stereotypical "tart with a heart" but a scrappy and intelligent survivor out to better her situation who just happens to also believe in ( a realistic amount of) human decency.
It's this layered character work that allows the film to be so funny once Ivan's godfather turns up with his brother and extra heavy. Between the three of them they are exasperated at the kid's latest antics, terrified of incurring the wrath of his parents and completely clueless on how to deal with Ani's take no shit approach to the situation. They bicker and rage at each other as her mixture of damsel in distress hysterics and tear off your ear street fighting instincts leave them perplexed. The mixture of tension, incompetence and sharp dialogue delivers comedy gold for a solid portion of the runtime.
Come the end credits things are more real, almost painfully so but you'll have spent a rip roaring couple of hours with one of the most likeable characters of recent times and witnessed the birth on a new star in Madison. A new, modern fable for the ages.
9 furious Armenians out of 10
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