Anora is the unforgettable journey of a young woman who thought she knew everything, only to be disappointed by the reality she created in her own head. The movie, written and directed by Sean Baker, is carried by the incredible performances given by Mikey Madison and Mark Eidelstein. Everything that turns Anora into one of the best films of the year comes down to the characters and how they were written, which is why the movie packs plenty of emotional punches by the time the credits roll. And it all begins with the titular character’s ambitious desire to look for a better life.
Anora (Mikey Madison) is introduced as a successful sex worker. Everything changes for the titular character once she crosses paths with Vanya (Mark Eidelstein), an irresponsible wealthy young man. The dynamic between the two characters is what leads the entire narrative of the movie. While Anora thought she had the entire situation under control, she begins to fall in love with the promise of Vanya’s money and the happy life they could lead together. Unfortunately for the protagonist, reality sets in. Nevertheless, the movie manages to introduce charismatic supporting characters who provide the funniest moments in Anora.
Yura Borisov plays Igor, one of the people working for Vanya’s rich family. The kind young man doesn’t want any trouble, even if his dangerous lifestyle constantly places him in the middle of complicated situations. He is joined by Karren Karagulian, who portrays Toros. Every single adult in charge of Vanya’s life is constantly frustrated by the teenager’s carelessness, which includes getting married to Anora during a secret trip to Las Vegas. The devastating gut punch of Anora comes with how the audience wants the protagonist to succeed, even if her background and choices lead her down a dangerous path.
Mikey Madison is wonderful as Anora. The performer constantly plays around with the character’s biggest virtues: Her ability to fight for her survival and her desire to improve the conditions of her life. These traits often cause the character to be stuck between being smart about her decisions and choosing what could make her happy. Madison is astonishing when bringing to life a character who’s forced to be intelligent about her future due to her profession while moving forward with the recklessness of a young heart. Mikey Madison carries Anora on her shoulders with her unbelievable talent.
The writing by Sean Baker makes Anora feel like an entirely different movie during the first half. As the main characters are being introduced, it’s hard for the viewer to know what to expect out of this narrative. When the second half of the film begins to unfold, it becomes evident that this isn’t about what Anora does with her life, but about how the character hasn’t been able to process her own emotions. This was always meant to be Anora’s story, but the character decided to lose herself in the fantasy Vanya presented to her, even if she knew it could all be gone in a second.
There is something to be said about the pacing of Anora. The screenplay for the movie is solid, but once the characters related to Vanya start searching for the boy, the plot almost comes to a halt. Instead of taking this time to explore what makes the characters of Anora interesting, the running time is stretched until the resolution to this problem is finally revealed. Besides this minor pacing inconvenience, Anora is delightful due to how the context of the entire premise changes from one moment to the other. Viewers are able to feel this journey alongside the characters without the movie coming off as condescending.
Anora is very insightful when it comes to the titular character of the story. It never attempts to depict Anora as someone who is stupid. Instead, the movie asks more complicated questions about what the character can do in her context. Combined with Madison’s performance, the screenplay for this story immediately turns this lost young woman into a striking protagonist. This is Anora’s world, but how much of what happens to her is actually her fault? That is up for the viewer to decide. Anora traps audiences into a compelling narrative about someone fighting for a better life when stuck in an unpredictable scenario.
With unforgettable performances and a solid script, Anora is one of the best movies of the year. Sean Baker figured out a way to turn this multidimensional character into someone unforgettable. Anora is likely to stand the test of time thanks to Mikey Madison’s undeniable presence on the screen as the titular character. Emotional, thrilling and surprisingly funny, Anora shows how much care Sean Baker put into this tale. It will be hard to find another movie as impactful as this one when it comes to 2024. But as with Anora herself, the only thing left to do now is to move forward.
REVIEW SCORE: 4/5
