Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya, the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened when Vanya's parents send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York.
Nominated for Best International Independent Film at the British Independent Film Awards 2024.
The Garden Cinema View:
Sean Baker obtained the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival with Anora, making him the first American filmmaker to win the prize since 2012.
Similarly to Baker's previous works (Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket), Anora focuses on a deeply flawed yet captivating protagonist, brought to life with great humanity by Mikey Madison. What makes Baker's films so exhilarating is that despite his characters’ questionable decisions and political incorrectness, they always feel authentic. Anora commands our empathy from the start, and by the end, she also gains our respect.
Baker's casting and work with actors is clearly his forte. Beyond Madison's commanding central performance, Anora features masterfully orchestrated (and genuinely entertaining) ensemble work from the Russian mafia characters, including Compartment No. 6’s Yuriy Borisov.
True to form, Baker's directing appears effortless, unspooling intricate, lengthy shots, with a deceptive ease that undermines their complexity.
