‘Anora’ Review: Sean Baker’s Whirlwind Sex-Work Romance Sparkles Like the Tinsel in Its Leading Lady’s Hair
The uncut gem of this year’s Cannes competition, “Anora” is a rowdy Safdie-style movie about two cultures (Russian and American), two languages (Russian and English) and two currencies (money and sex). Like countless Hollywood fantasies that have come before, it tells the story of how young people from different worlds fall in love, run into immediate obstacles and deal with the consequences — except the couple in this case consists of a New York stripper and the reckless son of a Russian oligarch. How long would you give it?
Director Sean Baker describes “Anora” as a Cinderella story, but that’s only true to the extent that his Walt Disney World-adjacent “The Florida Project” could be seen as a fairy tale. Baker’s subversively romantic, free-wheeling sex farce makes “Pretty Woman” look like a Disney movie. It follows on the (knee-high boot) heels of four other films in which Baker centered the experience of sex workers — from porn stars to prostitutes — and refashions their best aspects into a compulsively entertaining, 80-proof emotional ride. The movie’s heart may be in Brighton Beach, but its spirit is more in line with the rickety Coney Island Cyclone just down the boardwalk.
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The title character (Mikey Madison), who prefers to be called Ani, works at a Manhattan strip club giving lap dances to businessmen and, on what feels like the luckiest day of her life, a Russian kid called Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), real name Vanya Zakharov. Since Ani knows a little Russian — which she picked up from a grandmother who never learned English — her boss sends her to the big spender’s table, where the two hit it off right away, communicating via a clumsy mix of the two languages.
Guileless, sweet and unconditionally generous, Ivan’s different from Ani’s other clients, most of whom are old enough to be her dad (some say things like “you look like my 18-year-old daughter”). Just two years older than Ivan, Ani grabs him by the hand, leads him to a private room and takes charge, making Ivan think that he’s the one calling the shots. That’s a common theme for all 138 minutes of a film that races by: Other characters may have the cash, but she has control for most of “Anora.” In the scenes where she doesn’t — most notably, an extended and deeply uncomfortable one where three men try to restrain her — Ani’s mind races for a way to shift the balance back in her favor. By the end of that first night, she’s sent Ivan home with her number in his phone.
After a few one-on-one visits to his opulent pad (a waterfront mansion with maid service and private security), Ani finds herself negotiating the rate for a week of exclusive attention. They settle on $15,000, cash up front. Baker isn’t coy — but nor is he pervy — about the transactional sex between these two, presenting it without judgment. Neither degrading nor glamorous, Ani and Ivan’s sessions are instead gently humorous. She tries to get to know him, while Ivan mostly wants to get off, turning his attention to video games or TV as soon as they’re done.
Eager but inexperienced, Ivan races through lovemaking like some kind of spastic rabbit, and after a few such disappointments, Ani offers to slow things down and instruct him a bit. It’s right about then that Ivan tells Ani that he’s in love … and a short time later that he suggests they get married. At this point, Ani is caught up in the extravagant YOLO vibe Ivan gives off — a kaleidoscope of partying out and sleeping in that’s infinitely better than her working-class home life (briefly glimpsed between shifts at the club). Ivan flies Ani to Las Vegas, where the wedding chapels are open 24 hours. Some people go to Vegas and get a tattoo; she gets a four-carat rock and a marriage certificate.
It’s right about here that a Cinderella story would end “happily ever after.” Not “Anora.” Baker’s just getting started. Ani’s dream last for all of 45 minutes, and then Ivan’s parents get wind that their prodigal (and profligate) son has married a “hooker,” who prefers to be called an exotic dancer. They’re outraged by the shame that Ivan has brought upon their family, although Madison is so sincere in the role of Ani, it’s hard to see their side of things. Sure, Ani’s eyes widened when when she saw the view from Ivan’s bedroom or the collection of luxury vehicles in his garage. But she’s no gold-digger. (And so what if she were? He’s got his currency, and she’s got hers. She’s also American, which means a fast track to a green card.)
There’s still a feature film’s worth of excitement to come, as Ivan’s godfather Toros (Karren Karagulian) gets involved, dispatching a pair of thugs, a fellow Armenian named Garnick (Vache Tovmaysan) and the Russian-speaking “gopnik” named Igor (Yura Borisov). Baker brings the same spontaneous, seat-of-your-pants energy to “Anora” that he did “Tangerine” before this, making what follows every bit as impulsive and unpredictable, captured in delicious, slightly oversaturated widescreen. The audience is on Ani’s side, but there are no “bad guys” here — just concerned family and friends understandably alarmed by Ivan’s actions.
Toros wants to get the marriage annulled, while Ani clings to the fairy-tale hope that it’s for real and Ivan splits and abandons everyone, rather than confront his mom (a ferocious Darya Ekamasova), already en route from Russia. Switching up the film’s tone and how audiences feel about the situation every few minutes, Baker brilliantly orchestrates the chaos to come as the situation tornados out of control. Russians have a certain reputation, and it’s easy to imagine the day going terribly wrong. Who might be the first to miss Ani if she disappeared? The answer is: us.
With a wispy, little-girl voice like Dakota Johnson’s and the cat-fight intensity of Tura Satana (“Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!”), 2022 “Scream” actor Madison surprises as Ani. Working where she does, her character has every reason to be cynical, and yet, Ani still believes in true love, even if Ivan hardly seems deserving of her faith. Beneath her sparkling hair tinsel and butterfly nails, she’s smart and resourceful, representing in this one unforgettable character the ambitions and obstacles of centuries of sex workers. Baker has always had an instinct for spotting talent, and here, he doesn’t have to show Madison pole dancing à la Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers” for audiences to buy into the authenticity (it may actually be an advantage that she’s not already a star, or impossibly proportioned). We read Ani as real, and we feel deeply invested in how this shotgun wedding plays out.
For his part, Eydelshteyn brings a spindly Timothée Chalamet-like quality to the role of Ivan, adapting his body language to the way Ani sees him: Prince Charming at first, but increasingly pathetic once his parents are invoked. Familiar face Karagulian has appeared in all Baker’s features, but gets his biggest role yet as a man unwilling to risk his privileged connection to the Zakharov clan for Ivan’s hijinks. Quietly stewing on the sidelines is Borisov, who looks like he could kill someone (Ani insists he has “rape eyes”) but winds up being the only one genuinely interested in bridging the gaps between their two worlds.
Taken alone, “Anora” is a profane kick. But seen in the context of Baker’s recurring fixations — from “Starlet” to “Red Rocket” — it stresses his belief that sex work is real work, that it’s more central to society than society wants to admit, and that by identifying with those we typically objectify, we can’t help but love them.
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