The following contains spoilers for the 2024 film Anora.
Anora has been one of the buzziest movies of 2024 after the indie film won the Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
The festival included several standouts this year, including The Substance and the revolutionary trans noir musical Emilia Perez. But Sean Baker’s fifth feature film harkened back to the classic cinema we love while pushing the envelope of what film can be.
Distributed by mini-major studio Neon—which has released some of the best films of the year alongside A24—Anora is likely the Best Picture winner for several reasons.
What Is Anora About?
In Anora, Ani (Mikey Madison), a Russian-speaking exotic dancer in Brighton Beach, marries the son of a Russian oligarch, only to face an annulment when his parents discover their union.
Unlike other Cinderella stories based in modern New York (like Maid in Manhattan), Anora has classic elements of Baker’s previous works while delivering a rich narrative wrapped in screwball comedy.
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Baker, known for Tangerine and The Florida Project, consistently builds on reoccurring themes of shining a light on marginalized communities—those often misunderstood or stigmatized by mainstream society for their so-called “immoral” work. However, Baker is a filmmaker working to separate Ani’s line of work from who she is as a person.
From the first scene, we see Ani working hard, hustling people into purchasing dances from her before she clocks out and returns to her home underneath a subway track. After meeting Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), who goes by Vanya throughout the movie, at the club, Ani’s life is transformed.
The American Dream in Anora
Vanya and Ani are not only attracted to each other physically, but they see their chance at achieving their respective “American Dreams.”
For Ani, this means not having to work as hard and hustle people to earn a good life that includes a nice home, trips, fur coats, and more. Though Vanya is not the most dutiful husband, he is the best chance she’s got to live the life she has always wanted.
Vanya’s version of the American Dream is getting away from his responsibilities that wait for him in Russia and the freedom to be a party boy forever. He may not be the most emotionally intelligent or responsible, but he knows how to live life to the fullest. That is enough to get Ani on board for the madness they are about to encounter.
Of course, the American Dream is a myth in Baker’s universe, and the fragmented reality comes crumbling down when Vanya’s parents find out and force the couple to annul the marriage.
The screwball comedy that takes place throughout the second act pushes Ani’s character to the background in favor of a few laughs, which makes you realize how plot-driven this narrative is rather than a character-driven one.
The ending leaves you paralyzed as Ani clings to a flicker of hope that her dream life will come. Her vulnerability is heartbreaking and makes you care deeply for a character often dismissed and degraded for her work.
The American Neorealism of Baker’s Projects
Drawing inspiration from the Italian Neorealism movement, Baker pioneered his own style that centers on the lives of the poor and working class in American society.
Critics have accused Baker of exploiting poverty for entertainment, but his deeply empathic approach challenges Americans’ preconceived ideas about certain groups of people, letting one aspect of their lives define their entire perception of them.
In Anora, we see Ani constantly fighting back when people try to relegate and shame her for her work as an escort. She is not ashamed of who she is. While Ani doesn’t experience significant character growth, Madison’s portrayal of her adds depth, grounding her in complexity and making her compelling as strong and vulnerable at the same time.
Ani struggles to accept the way she’s told to view herself, but ultimately discovers peace in the presence of someone who treats her with genuine respect, not as a means to an end. While most of us may not share Ani’s exact experiences, her feelings of pain and defeat resonate deeply with anyone who’s faced disappointment and fallen from high hopes.
To be fair, critics of the film are hard to come by. Anora has garnered a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics out rating audiences with 97% and 91% respectively.
Humanity and community are central themes in Baker’s whole catalog of work, and they are powerfully evident in Anora. With its digestible narrative and impactful subject matter, this film stands as an Oscar contender.
Anora and Baker could set the stage for change in the way Hollywood treats stories from up-and-coming American auteurs—and the muses from which they draw inspiration.
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