Anora (2024)

Plot Summary: A high-priced stripper named Anora impulsively marries the partying son of a Russian oligarch, only to face the wrath of his family's fixers who are determined to erase their Vegas wedding and get rid of her.

Director: Sean Baker
Screenplay: Sean Baker
Producers: Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, Sean Baker
Cinematography: Drew Daniels
Editor: Sean Baker

Starring:
Mikey Madison as Anora "Ani" Mikheeva
Mark Eydelshteyn as Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov
Yura Borisov as Igor
Karren Karagulian as Toros
Vache Tovmasyan as Garnik
Aleksei Serebryakov as Nikolai Zakharov
Darya Ekamasova as Galina Zakharova
Luna Sofía Miranda as Lulu
Lindsey Normington as Diamond

 

***SPOILER ALERT***

My Prude Ass vs. The Mindless Never Ending Party

So, I'm late to the Oscars party again, bringing you my very important opinion on Anora (lol), the big 2025 winner with 5 awards. But do I think it deserved all that? Let's find out. I have to start by admitting I'm kind of a prude with my movies. I always get uncomfortable with sex scenes, and this movie has quite a few. I also didn't do any research; this is just my blank-slate opinion. When I started watching, I felt nothing but disdain for everyone involved. I had this lingering question: "Is this movie going to try and affirm feminism through this character? Is it going to try and make being a prostitute some life-affirming choice?" Those feelings were even stronger because I'd just watched On Falling the day before, which is the complete opposite side of life. Anyway, Anora meets the Russian kid, Ivan, and we get party after party, drugs, sex, and completely mindless living for a big chunk of time. This is very well done, in my opinion, because it forces you to get bored with it, to see how f***ing empty everything these kids are doing is. But at the same time, I was saying, "Meh, they're kids, let them have their mindless fun." The character of Ani (Anora) was what upset me the most, creating conflicts in my rational brain. I get pissed off at the naivety of strippers who actually believe some super-rich motherf***er is going to find them so unbelievable they'll just marry them. It's baffling trying to rationalize that stupid way of thinking. And up to this point, I really thought Sean Baker was trying to make all of this okay.

Watch the clip below of the Vegas marriage scene, where I found it all just soooo dumb and naive.

When the Handlers Show Up

So after all the partying and the rushed Vegas marriage, things get serious... or do they? This is what I find original and very entertaining about the movie. When the family hears the rumors, they send the guys responsible for keeping an eye on little Ivan Zakharov: an Armenian Orthodox priest who's also the godfather (Karren Karagulian), his brother (Vache Tovmasyan), and a little fa**ot ass b**** gopnik (lol) played by Yura Borisov (who was in Zvyagintsev's Elena). The situation becomes tense and unpredictable but, ultimately, really, really funny and suddenly turning the movie into a comedy. This is also when I started to get a little sympathy for Anora. She didn't act like a fearful little girl; she fiercely fought back when boundaries were crossed, and I can respect that. Sean Baker also made the crucial move of hiring actual Russian and Armenian actors, which saved the film's authenticity. As someone who understands Russian, I can tell you I probably found more humor in the dialogues and expressions these guys used.

You can see exactly what I mean in the clip below, where Toros asks Igor to untie her hands only to regret it one minute later.

Tilting My Mind (And My Final Rant)

Inside of me, there was this eagerness for punishment. I was always waiting for the parents to come and put an end to this nonsense, for the little deluded prostitute to get what she deserves and for the boy to get his spanking. But this is where the movie forces me to realize something. Yes, she sells her body, and I think that's degrading for a woman, but ultimately she didn't deserve to be treated like that. She deserves some respect. When she confronts the mother during the divorce signing, telling her Ivan just married a hooker to spite her, Anora has the moral high ground. The movie tilted my mind. My reason and emotions entered into conflict, but love ultimately won. I don't care that Anora was a prostitute and maybe a little low on brain power; she deserves to be taken care of and loved. That final breakdown scene shows she's powerful, but something was missing. It's an enjoyable, one-time fun ride, and I definitely recommend it if you aren't a worse prude than me (lol). But—and this is a big but—this movie doesn't remove the stigma of sex work. I don't think this is progressive. Why do people feel so strongly against this? Because no parent wants their child involved in that "business." It's natural and human. Sex is the most sacred and spiritual bonding thing about humans, and no one is changing my opinion on that. The minute you turn sex work into "just a fun thing," and you no longer need to hide it, you are one step closer to adding children to the mix. How does that make you feel? Sex work needs to be marginalized; it's a symptom of a decaying society. I'm open to debate, of course. Aaaaaanyway, does it deserve an Oscar? I don't give a f*** about that. I just know this is a good movie, and I like it. Prostitutes are people and spoiled rich kids who treat the world like a park are a systemic cancer.

Watch the clip below of that exact divorce scene I mentioned.

Freddy's Final Rating

79

A provocative and entertaining film that challenges perspectives

🏆 Oscar Winner 2025

Best Picture

Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

Best Director

Sean Baker

Best Original Screenplay

Sean Baker

Best Actress

Mikey Madison

Best Editing

Sean Baker

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