So, this film is sort of like “Pretty Woman,” if things went really off the rails, and Richard Gere was Russian.
Well, there are actually quite a few more differences all things considered. In “Anora,” Mikey Madison stars as the titular character who makes a living as a stripper and escort. Her day-to-day routine of working at a Manhattan club is interrupted when she’s hired by Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.
Initially hired for her escort services, Ivan later continues to pay Anora, or Ani as she likes to be called, to be his live-in girlfriend. After spending more time together, he ends up marrying the young woman. However, Anora’s new life in luxury is threatened when Ivan’s family finds out, and are furious at the news.
“Anora” is a film where a character’s life can turn on a dime, and it leads to a great deal of dramatics, and it’s easy to get hooked into everything going on. Director Sean Baker, who also wrote the film, puts his protagonist through a mix of highs and lows, resulting in a fascinating, roller coaster-like character arc.
Over the course of the film, Ani’s life is lifted into luxury, only for the applecart to be upset, plunging her into a desperate situation, followed by a process of self-actualization. This is compounded by the fact that Ani is a protagonist filled with charisma.
Without a doubt, the strongest part of Ani’s journey takes place in the film’s second act. It’s at this point where employees of Ivan’s family spook the young man, causing him to flee into the Big Apple. As a result, Ani is forced to work with the family’s, well, henchmen for lack of a better term, to find her husband.
Watching this odd quartet have to reluctantly scour New York City together to find Ivan is both hilarious and emotional, the latter coming about as Ani begins to lose faith in her new husband. It’s a chaotic adventure that keeps an audience fully locked in.
Credit of course should go to Baker for creating Ani, but Madison is an MVP for bringing out her powerful personality. Ani is clearly a woman who knows how to hustle and be strong, standing up for herself regularly. Madison brings that out, but also captures how the character gets wrapped up in the chance for a better life and the ensuing rough emotional road she has.
One just wishes there was a bit more time committed to Ani’s personal life. We’re shown her work life and her relationship with Ivan, but just a few simple segments at home. It makes it a bit difficult in some scenes to decipher her true intentions and identity. A viewer can get just about a full idea, but there still is some doubt that unnecessarily creates a degree of separation.
The movie remains very watchable, though, in part thanks to how it captures excess. The visual style of the film manages to depict the luxury and eroticism on display with a flair that enriches what the picture is getting across.
“Anora” is quite the experience. As a character study, it could have rounded out the protagonist just a bit more, but Ani’s arc is still profound, it’s well made by Baker and features a good supporting cast as well. This one is an amusing ride, especially thanks to a stellar second act. 4.2 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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